Locum / agency nurse rates UK 2026

What drives the variance

• Geography: London + South East run 10–20% above the national average. Scotland and Wales typically mirror the national mean; Northern Ireland is often lower.
• Urgency: last-minute cover pays more. Organisations covering a sudden gap often pay 20–30% above their standard rate.
• Specialty: out-of-hours, unplanned care, specialist wards, and complex caseload all uplift the base rate.
• Volume: regular weekly bookings are usually offered at a lower rate than ad-hoc shifts in exchange for certainty.
• Route to market: direct bookings pay more than agency routes because no one takes a cut.

How to benchmark your own rate

1. Write down the last ten bookings you accepted and the rate you charged or received.
2. Break them down by region, urgency, and duration.
3. Compare each against the typical range above. If you are consistently at or below the low end on standard bookings, you are probably underpriced.
4. Next time you are asked for your rate on a standard booking in a London / South East practice, quote the typical figure from the headline above and see what happens. A refusal tells you about the booking, not your rate.