Medical consultant salary UK 2026: NHS pay scales and take-home
NHS consultant basic pay in England runs from £113,565 to £150,569 from 1 April 2026. The wider ONS specialist medical practitioners and consultants occupation has a £92,847 median, which is useful market evidence but not a substitute for the NHS contract scale.
How to read the official medical consultant salary figure
The ONS group covers specialist medical practitioners and consultants across employee jobs. It is broader than one NHS contract and can include different specialties, employers, programmed activities and levels of additional responsibility.
The midpoint is one of the highest in the occupation data, but a consultant payslip can include basic salary, extra programmed activities, on-call availability, clinical excellence payments or private work. This page keeps the national employee distribution separate from any one contract or source of outside income.
The most useful comparison is between the ONS annual gross figure and the full contract, not basic pay alone. Programmed activities, on-call supplements, additional responsibilities and awards can affect employee earnings. Self-employed private-practice income and business turnover sit outside the employee measure and should be assessed separately after costs.
Which medical jobs this salary page covers
The source is designed for specialist medical practitioners and consultants, not every doctor or every form of medical income.
Good fit for this page
- NHS and other employed specialist medical practitioners and consultants
- Guaranteed employee earnings within the ONS occupation group
- Gross employee earnings before tax, including payroll additions where they are reported
Use a different comparison for
- Resident doctors, GPs or SAS doctors compared as if they are consultants
- Private-practice turnover treated as an employee salary
- One specialty, nation or NHS contract assumed to represent the whole UK group
Lower, typical and higher medical consultant pay
£43,253 separates the median from the published 75th percentile. Two salaries inside that band can still be far apart, so the ladder alone cannot place your own pay or show the after-tax gap to the next point.
- Lower-middle pay25th percentile£67,335
- Typical payMedian£92,847
- Higher pay75th percentile£136,100
Moving from the median to the published 75th percentile is £43,253 gross a year, or about £1,626 more a month after standard tax and employee National Insurance.
Place your confirmed salary inside the official specialist medical range, then see take-home pay and True Wage around sessions, on-call time and work costs.
From the median to the published 75th percentile is £43,253 gross a year, worth about £1,626 more a month after standard tax and employee National Insurance.
Official medical consultant salary points used in this guide
See the published salary points
| Pay point | Annual salary | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | £67,335 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| Median | £92,847 | The published midpoint |
| 75th percentile | £136,100 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| Mean average | £103,044 | Simple average, affected by high salaries |
The paid report estimates a position using the verified occupation data. It does not claim an exact ranking of every worker.
Medical consultant salary per month and after tax
At the £92,847 occupation median, gross pay is about £7,737 a month. A standard 2026/27 estimate gives take-home pay of about £5,367 a month after tax and employee National Insurance. The simple average is shown separately where ONS published it.
The estimate uses the standard Personal Allowance, Income Tax bands for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and employee National Insurance. It does not include pension, student loan, salary sacrifice or a different tax code. Scottish Income Tax is different.
ONS consultant salary range alongside NHS basic pay
The wider ONS occupation has a £92,847 median, between a lower-middle point of £67,335 and an upper-middle point of £136,100. Its £103,044 simple average covers employee earnings across specialist medical practitioners and consultants; the NHS England basic-pay scale should be used for a current NHS contract.
The range is wide because the group spans specialties, experience, contractual commitments and additional duties. The official points are a national market guide; the relevant NHS pay circular or employer contract remains essential for a real offer.
NHS consultant pay, starting salary and private work
Consultant income is often discussed as one number, but basic NHS pay, additional work and private practice are different parts of the picture.
| 2003 consultant contract point | Basic salary from 1 April 2026 |
|---|---|
| Starting salary | £113,565 |
| After 3 years completed | £120,249 |
| After 4 years completed | £123,672 |
| After 8 years completed | £135,645 |
| After 14 years completed | £150,569 |
These are England basic-pay figures for consultants on the 2003 contract. They do not include extra programmed activities, on-call payments, awards, pension deductions or private work.
NHS consultant basic pay
Use the national contract point that applies to the appointment and recognised service. The ONS range is wider occupation evidence, not the NHS basic-pay scale.
Additional and on-call pay
Extra programmed activities, on-call availability and local or national awards can increase employee earnings. They should be separated from the contractual basic salary.
Private consultant income
Private-practice revenue is not the same as employee salary. Costs, indemnity, facilities, administration, tax and unpaid time need to be separated before comparing it with NHS pay.
Useful next step: compare this role with the NHS consultant take-home guide, or pension contribution under £100k.
What usually changes medical consultant pay
Specialty, contract structure and additional duties can move consultant earnings far away from the national midpoint.
Specialty and labour market
Shortage specialties, regional demand and the mix of NHS and other employed work can affect recruitment and total earnings.
Programmed activities and on-call work
Extra sessions, on-call availability and additional responsibilities can increase pay beyond the core contract.
Experience and leadership
Clinical leadership, medical management, education, research and service responsibility can change both workload and pay.
Private work and awards
Private practice and local or national awards should be valued separately from guaranteed employee salary.
Specialist training, consultant work and progression
The National Careers Service says hospital doctors complete a medical degree, foundation training and specialist training before applying for senior or consultant roles on the General Medical Council Specialist Register.
Consultants diagnose and treat patients, lead clinical decisions, supervise and train doctors, work with wider teams and may manage a service or department. Hours can include evenings, weekends and on-call rotas depending on the specialty.
Experienced consultants may move into clinical leadership, medical education, research, management or private practice. Those routes help explain why the upper part of the occupation distribution extends well above the midpoint.
When comparing progression, look beyond years in post. Specialty demand, service leadership, teaching, research, rota commitments and extra programmed activities can all change the role. The current pay circular for the relevant UK nation remains the right place to confirm contractual rates and recognised service.
What to check in a medical consultant offer
A consultant offer should separate the core contract from extra work and non-guaranteed income.
- What basic salary and recognised service point apply?
- How many programmed activities, on-call duties and extra sessions are included?
- Which leadership, teaching, research or management responsibilities are paid?
- How do pension, indemnity, private-practice rules and relocation costs affect the package?
Where the salary and industry information comes from
The pay figures are from the Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14, 2025 provisional edition. They cover full-time employee jobs and do not cover self-employed people. Annual gross pay can include overtime, incentive pay, shift premiums and cash allowances reported through payroll, so it should not be read as guaranteed basic salary.
| Official job group | Specialist medical practitioners and consultants. The everyday page title is narrower than the official group. |
|---|---|
| Quality | ONS marks this full-time estimate as precise. In plain English, this is one of the more dependable estimates in the occupation table. |
| Jobs in the estimate | About 142,000 full-time employee jobs |
| Career and role source | National Careers Service: Hospital doctor Medical training, specialist route, duties, rota and progression. View source |
| Career and role source | NHS Employers: medical and dental pay circular 2026 Current England pay arrangements for consultants and other medical staff. View source |
Where the verified source extract leaves a salary point blank, this page leaves it blank too. A missing upper point is never filled with an estimate.
View the ONS salary tableCheck the 2026/27 tax and NI figuresCompare all 412 occupations
Medical consultant salary questions
What is the average medical consultant salary in the UK?
The wider ONS specialist medical practitioners and consultants occupation has a £92,847 median and a £103,044 simple average. For an NHS consultant contract in England, use the separate national basic-pay scale, which runs from £113,565 to £150,569 from 1 April 2026.
How much is a medical consultant salary per month after tax?
At the £92,847 ONS median, gross pay is about £7,737 per month and a standard 2026/27 estimate gives about £5,367 after Income Tax and employee National Insurance, before NHS pension or other deductions. NHS contract pay should be calculated from the relevant scale point.
What is an NHS consultant salary in 2026?
NHS consultant contract pay should be checked against the current national medical and dental pay circular for the relevant UK nation. The ONS figures on this page are a wider UK employee distribution, not a substitute for the NHS scale.
What is a new consultant starting salary?
The ONS table does not publish a consultant starting rate. The £67,335 lower-middle point is a market percentile, not a guaranteed first consultant salary.
Do private earnings count in this figure?
The ONS data cover employee earnings. Private-practice turnover and self-employed income are not directly comparable with salary and should be assessed after costs and unpaid time.
Is £92,847 a good medical consultant salary?
It is 138% above the UK full-time median and is the third-highest published occupation median in the production ranking, but contract sessions, on-call work and pension deductions still matter.
What do higher-paid medical consultants earn?
The verified upper-middle point is £136,100. It marks the 75th percentile of the full-time occupation distribution, not a guaranteed salary for a particular specialty or employer.
Is the ONS medical consultant salary the same as NHS basic pay?
No. The ONS figure is gross annual employee pay across a broad UK occupation group. NHS basic pay is set by the relevant contract and nation, while on-call work, extra programmed activities and other payments can change annual earnings.
How do programmed activities and on-call work affect consultant pay?
A consultant contract sets the agreed work and payment arrangements. Extra programmed activities, on-call availability and additional responsibilities may increase gross earnings, so they should be identified separately when comparing two offers.