A dermatologist in the NHS in England earns £113,565 to £150,569 as a consultant in 2026/27, after years on the resident doctor scale from £41,226. Pay is national, so the main driver is how long you have been a consultant. This guide gives every grade and the route in, and says plainly what we could not confirm.
Dermatologist salary UK 2026/27 by grade
Dermatologists are paid on the same national NHS doctor scales as other hospital specialties; there is no separate dermatology scale.
| Grade or stage | Salary | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Year 1 (FY1) | £41,226 | Year after medical school |
| Foundation Year 2 (FY2) | £47,610 | |
| ST1/ST2 or CT1/CT2 | £55,355 | First two years of specialty or core training |
| ST3/CT3 | £67,325 | |
| ST4 to ST5 | £67,998 | |
| ST6 | £76,582 | |
| ST7 to ST8 | £77,348 | Check the BMA scale for your exact nodal point |
| Consultant, thresholds 0 to 2 | £113,565 | Starting salary |
| Consultant, threshold 3 | £120,249 | |
| Consultant, thresholds 4 to 7 | £123,672 | |
| Consultant, thresholds 8 to 13 | £135,645 | |
| Consultant, thresholds 14 to 19 | £150,569 | Top of the scale |
Source: NHS Employers pay circular M&D 1/2026 R2 (3.5% award from 1 April 2026) and the BMA resident doctor scale. Basic pay only. We do not quote private-practice earnings because we found no official source.
Dermatologist pay point picker
How to become a dermatologist in the UK
Dermatology is a hospital specialty reached through medical school, foundation training and specialty training.
- Medical degree: 5 to 6 years, or 4 years for graduate entry.
- Foundation programme: 2 years, registering with the GMC.
- Specialty training: dermatology follows core or internal medicine training. We could not confirm the exact number of years from an official page, so check the British Association of Dermatologists and the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board for the current curriculum.
- Consultant post: pay starts at £113,565.
A named voice from dermatology
We could not find a named dermatologist’s quote on an official page, so we do not print one.
Check the British Association of Dermatologists for professional profiles. Source
Costs, hours and what affects pay
Registration: the annual GMC fee with a licence to practise is £481 from 1 April 2026, up from £463. Recent graduates can pay a discounted £184 fee.
Hours: a full-time consultant job plan is 10 programmed activities of four hours. We found no official figure for typical weekly hours of trainees.
What moves your pay: time served, on-call work, locum shifts and additional programmed activities. Location does not change the national consultant scale.
Dermatologist salary FAQ
How much does a dermatologist earn in the UK?
An NHS consultant in England earns £113,565 to £150,569 basic pay in 2026/27 depending on years served.
How long does it take to become a dermatologist?
Medical school, a 2-year foundation programme and several years of core and dermatology training. We could not confirm the exact total from an official page.
Do dermatologists earn more privately?
Possibly, but we found no official source for private earnings, so we do not quote a figure.
What is the GMC fee?
£481 a year with a licence to practise from 1 April 2026.
Sources and further reading
- NHS Employers pay circular for doctors, M&D 1/2026 R2 (July 2026)
- GMC fees for doctors
- BMA: resident doctor pay scales in England
- British Association of Dermatologists
Related on Debut: Graduate schemes hub | Pilot salary | Aerospace engineer salary | Air traffic controller salary | Mechanical engineer salary | Doctor salary | Cardiologist salary | Optometrist salary
Updated November 2026. Figures are England 2026/27 basic pay; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland publish their own scales.
