Does NHS pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, NHS employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at NHS. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at NHS?

61% of NHS employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated NHS 3.4 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.5 for culture and values and 3.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at NHS?

Registered Nurse (689) , Doctor (626) , Administrative Assistant (472) , Administrator (240) , Healthcare Assistant (202) , Project Manager (187) , Receptionist (170) , Administrative (160) , Physiotherapist (158) , Nurse (154) , Biomedical Scientist (148) , Pharmacist (141) , Medical Doctor (135) , Manager (131) , Medical Secretary (128)

What are the pros of working at NHS according to real employee reviews?

"Ability to train on many different areas Progression through the bands Stable and good pension 3 days a week on wards" ((in 894 reviews)); "people are nice and very helpful" ((in 670 reviews)); "Lovely team and great joh" ((in 460 reviews)); "Stable and good job security." ((in 315 reviews)); "Good work life balance and being in the public sector makes the chance of a dismissal smaller" ((in 285 reviews))

What are the cons of working at NHS according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay and expected to do basically everything and learn everything in short period of time" ((in 904 reviews)); "High demand for very few spaces in hospitals and surgeries and sometimes long hours but definitely worth it in the end." ((in 741 reviews)); "Poor management and issues with rosters" ((in 511 reviews)); "Salary is low and not helpful" ((in 344 reviews)); "low pay and long hours" ((in 188 reviews))

What are employees saying about NHS layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about NHS layoffs and their outlook for job security at NHS in 2026.

NHS reviews

3.7

61% would recommend to a friend

(14,868 total reviews)

Amanda Pritchard

64% approve of CEO

46% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.9

Diversity & inclusion

3.5

Culture & values

3.5

Career opportunities

3.4

Work/Life balance

3.1

Senior management

3.1

Compensation and benefits

NHS has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 14,868 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The NHS employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Salud industry (3.4 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

15K reviews

3.0

Apr 1, 2015

Good teamwork - poor management

Radiographer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good maternity and sick pay rates Lots of team working Staff are friendly Fixed pay rates for banding Helping the public

Cons

Poor management Difficult to progress Understaffed Long shifts with little time off No support from management and senior colleagues Guilt-tripped into taking on extra shifts as "helping the public" Lots of bad press make moral low

5.0

Dec 30, 2014

I wouldn't want to work anywhere else!

Medical personal assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I am in a medical PA role in the NHS. If you are hardworking, efficient, patient focussed and caring this is a very rewarding job. Even today there is still good security of employment, great annual leave allowances, parental leave and generous sick leave, along with an excellent pension scheme, in all very good terms and conditions. I would also struggle to find a PA role in another industry matching the salary You are left to get your work done without being "watched over" by management. Working in a large hospital along so many different specialisms and colleagues is interesting.

Cons

Sometimes patients can be rude, I guess like customers anywhere. They can also be anxious, upset and distressed, understandably, and you can be left to deal with things on your own; sometimes you can feel a little isolated. If you are not dedicated it can be difficult to get the job done competently, as the work load does tend to be large. It is the norm to work through breaks, come to work earlier than the start of the shift, etc, but if you are dedicated to patient care and your team it is worth it.

3.0

Oct 20, 2014

hard work few perks

Manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

the contract terms - sick leave, mat leave, pension

Cons

politics and general bullying atmosphere

Viewing 214 - 216 of 14,868 Reviews

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NHS

NHS reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Good teamwork - poor management

I wouldn't want to work anywhere else!

hard work few perks

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