Doctor Salary UK 2026 starts at £40,190 for a Foundation Year 1 doctor and rises to £139,882 for a Consultant at the top of the scale — NHS grade, not specialty, is what actually drives most of the pay gap between doctors.
The role of a Doctor in the UK spans everything from a Foundation Year rotation in a district general hospital to a Consultant post leading a specialist department. Whether training in Manchester, working through Core/Specialty Training in Leeds, or reaching Consultant grade in a London teaching hospital, pay follows a national NHS scale far more predictably than in most graduate professions — see our Psychiatrist Salary guide for how one specialty compares, or use Debut’s Paycheck Calculator to check take-home pay at any grade.
Doctor salary
Base pay £40K – £140K/yr
£71K/yr average base pay
The estimated total pay for a Doctor in the UK is £71,289 per year, based on salaries collected from users and government data. This figure spans the full range of NHS grades — a Foundation doctor and a Consultant are both “doctors” by title, but their pay can differ by more than £100,000.
What do Doctor earn
How much does a Doctor make in United Kingdom?
£71,289/yr
Doctor Salary UK by NHS Grade (2026/27)
| Grade | Salary |
|---|---|
| Foundation Doctor (FY1–FY2) | £40,190 – £47,610 |
| Specialty/Core Training (Registrar) | £54,499 – £76,582 |
| Consultant | £105,504 – £139,882 |
A 3.5% pay award took effect from 1 April 2026, applying across resident doctors, SAS doctors and consultants. Resident doctors (the term that replaced “junior doctors” in 2024) also receive pay on top of basic salary for hours worked over 40/week, a 37% enhancement for night shifts, a weekend allowance, and an availability allowance for on-call work — so actual take-home often runs well above the base figure in the table.
Source: NHS Pay Bands, “NHS Doctor Salary 2026/27”
Highest paying cities for Doctor near United Kingdom
- Prescot
£195,553 per year5 salaries reported - Glasgow
£72,822 per year126 salaries reported - Bristol
£71,317 per year75 salaries reported - Norwich
£70,992 per year35 salaries reported - Blackburn
£67,164 per year21 salaries reported - Coventry
£66,634 per year73 salaries reported - Manchester
£62,458 per year270 salaries reported - Birmingham
£60,545 per year97 salaries reported - London
£56,031 per year504 salaries reported
How to Become a Doctor in the UK
The standard route is a 5–6 year medical degree (MBBS/MBChB), or a 4-year graduate-entry course for non-medical graduates, followed by the 2-year Foundation Programme (FY1–FY2) that all UK doctors complete regardless of eventual specialty. From there, doctors apply either into Specialty/Core Training (leading toward Consultant grade) or GP Training (3 years). Registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) is required throughout, and full specialist registration comes with a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).
FAQs About Doctor Salary
What is the average doctor salary in the UK in 2026?
Around £71,289 total pay across all grades — but this spans Foundation doctors at £40,190 up to Consultants at £139,882, so “average” hides a very wide range.
How much does a Foundation Year doctor earn?
£40,190 rising to £41,226–£47,610 across FY1 and FY2, before overtime, night and weekend enhancements are added.
How much do NHS consultants earn?
£105,504 to £139,882 on the 2026/27 basic scale, plus any private practice or additional NHS sessions.
Do doctors get paid extra for nights and weekends?
Yes — resident doctors receive a 37% enhancement for night shifts, a weekend allowance, an availability allowance for on-call work, and pay for hours worked over 40/week, on top of basic salary.
Why did “junior doctor” become “resident doctor”?
The NHS renamed the “junior doctor” grade to “resident doctor” in 2024 to better reflect that the title covers doctors with anywhere from 1 to 8+ years of postgraduate experience, not just newly qualified staff.
Is doctor pay the same across the UK?
Base NHS pay follows a single national scale, but total earnings vary by region through London weighting, local overtime availability, and — for Consultants — private practice opportunities, which are far more common in and around London.
