Salaries and opportunities for advancement

Salaries in the health service are not in the mega-buck league, but the variety of experience and your perception of impact on everyday life make up for it. A new pay scheme based on skills and competencies, Agenda for Change, is being implemented during the next few years.

Salaries vary across the UK. As an example, new graduates can currently expect around £16,000 in a post in the North, with fairly rapid progress in larger organisations to around £25,000 after about 5 years. Some statisticians are employed on Civil Service Scales and have higher salaries. Senior posts, such as Head of Health Information in a large Health Authority, can be on salaries of around £50,000.

National Health Service salary scales have a spine with annual increments based on satisfactory performance, and posts are evaluated to a range on the scale. Some organisations within the NHS plan for promotions to more experienced jobs, but in most cases you will have to apply for a promoted post when you have sufficient experience. It is a good idea to try to get experience of working in different areas, and this can sometimes be arranged by secondments between NHS organisations.