NHS Consultant
Pay Scales 2026/27
Rules last checked
Basic pay, 2004 contract, 2026/27
Annual basic pay for a full-time consultant post from 1 April 2026, as the Scottish Government’s consultant circular sets it. The scale has twenty seniority points on eight pay points: one a year to pay point 4, then five years on each of points 5, 6 and 7, and point 8 at twenty years. Consultants who transferred from the pre-2004 contract have transitional arrangements in the circular’s Annex B.
| Pay point | Seniority | Basic pay against the top point | Annual basic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | £115,331 | |
| 2 | 2 | £117,767 | |
| 3 | 3 | £121,270 | |
| 4 | 4 | £124,778 | |
| 5 | 5 to 9 | £128,275 | |
| 6 | 10 to 14 | £136,602 | |
| 7 | 15 to 19 | £144,927 | |
| 8 | 20 | £153,247 |
Scottish Government, circular PCS(DD)2026/02, Annex A.
What is paid on top of basic
The 2004 contract pays for the job plan: basic salary covers 10 programmed activities a week of typically 4hours, with plain time 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and work outside it at premium rates. The elements below come on top: the contract’s extra activities and availability supplement, and the circular’s discretionary points and distinction awards.
Extra programmed activities
Extra programmed activities are agreed and contracted separately at the rate of basic pay plus any discretionary points held, so one extra activity is worth 10% of basic salary a year. Part-time posts are paid pro rata. Extra activities above ten are not superannuable.
Terms and Conditions, consultant contract in Scotland, sections 4.4.2 and 15.
On-call availability supplement
A consultant on an on-call rota is paid a supplement for being available, as a percentage of full-time basic salary, set by how often they are on call and by the level of the duties: Level 1 where the consultant needs to attend immediately when called, or undertakes analogous interventions such as telemedicine or complex telephone consultations; Level 2 where they can attend later or respond by non-complex telephone advice. The supplement is superannuable, and a part-timer on the same rota receives the same percentage of the full-time salary.
| Frequency of rota commitment | Level 1 | Level 2 |
|---|---|---|
| High frequency: 1 in 1 to 1 in 4 | 8% | 3% |
| Medium frequency: 1 in 5 to 1 in 8 | 5% | 2% |
| Low frequency: 1 in 9 or less frequent | 3% | 1% |
Terms and Conditions, consultant contract in Scotland, section 4.10 and Appendix 3.
Discretionary points
Up to 8 points, each worth £3,744 a year, so the eighth point brings £29,952. Their value is unchanged for 2026/27.
Scottish Government, circular PCS(DD)2026/02, Annex H.
Distinction awards
Three levels, their value unchanged for 2026/27.
| Award | Annual value |
|---|---|
| A+ | £75,889 |
| A | £55,924 |
| B | £31,959 |
Scottish Government, circular PCS(DD)2026/02, Annex H.
Sources
- Scottish Government, pay circular PCS(DD)2026/02, 12 August 2026, the consultant pay points by seniority, the discretionary points and the distinction awards, as issued to NHS Scotland payroll.
- Terms and Conditions of Service, consultant contract in Scotland, amendment 2, August 2007, programmed activities, the pay for extra ones, the availability supplement, and what is superannuable.
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