Only around a third of nurses and nursing staff working in general practice proactively try to negotiate their own pay rise every year, a new and exclusive Nursing in Practice report has suggested.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said that while asking an employer for a pay rise may not be easy, especially in small GP practices, it should ‘feel like a normal part of the workplace routine’.
Nursing in Practice’s new General practice nurse pay: A salary survey of the profession 2025 report – produced with our sister title Management in Practice – provides exclusive data and analysis on the state of general practice nursing pay and conditions.
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Published this month, it draws on survey results of more than 550 general practice nursing staff and also includes expert advice from nurses and practice managers.
Among the findings, our survey largely suggests a relatively small percentage of GPNs negotiate their pay (32%), compared to almost two-thirds (63%) who said they do not.
Based on this, our report also offers practical guidance from sector leaders and practice managers on how to do this in a meaningful way.
RCN national officer (employment relations) Jeni Watts and RCN professional lead for primary care Kim Ball, said while general practice nursing staff are ‘central’ to the success of the wider NHS, they are ‘repeatedly being left behind in matters of pay’.
‘Differences in how pay, terms and conditions are applied have led to inconsistencies in what general practice nursing staff receive,’ they said.
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‘Without national bargaining structures, many general practice nursing staff are left to negotiate for themselves, which adds to the disparity.’
The RCN has provided three detailed points on how practice nurses can ask for a pay rise, which can be found in full in our report.
While the RCN recognised that that asking an employer for a pay rise ‘isn’t easy’, it stressed that it ‘should feel like a normal part of the workplace routine and you should feel confident speaking about up about it’.
In addition, our report also features ‘six key tips for success when it comes to requesting a pay increase’ by practice manager Pete Woodward.
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These include a focus on starting negotiations early, having a face-to-face conversation and clearly setting out ‘the reasons you deserve a pay increase’, among others.
To find out more about the state of GPN pay and conditions, and how to negotiate your pay, read the full report here
