Specialist Nurse Salary in South West
Official ONS earnings for South West.
Median salary — South West
£41,645
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 6.2% change on the previous year
Mean
£41,040
What a typical specialist nurse takes home
On the median of £41,645, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,792
Take-home a year
£33,504
Income Tax
£5,815
National Insurance
£2,326
What most specialist nurses actually earn
Half of specialist nurses in South West earn between £26,952 and £45,919. Earning above £45,919 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
ONS suppresses the detailed spread for this occupation at regional level, so this range describes the wider “Nursing Professionals” group in South West.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of specialist nurses earn less than this.
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Specialist nurses
- SOC 2020 code
- 2233
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2026 provisional
ONS publishes a sampling error of 14.7% for this figure and asks that anything above 10% is treated as imprecise — too few people in this region answered the survey for this occupation. The figure is shown because it is the one ONS published, but it is not firm enough to rank South West against anywhere else, so this page doesn't.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Specialist Nurse salary FAQs
What is the average Specialist Nurse salary in South West?
The median is £41,645 a year and the mean is £41,040, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; ASHE publishes no full-time split at regional level.
How much does a specialist nurse earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £24.92 excluding overtime, or £24.61 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only, so there is no separate rate for South West.
What is a good Specialist Nurse salary?
Half of specialist nurses earn between £26,952 and £45,919. Anything above £45,919 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a specialist nurse?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of specialist nurses earn under £17,203 and the lowest quarter under £26,952 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Do specialist nurses in South West earn more than the UK average?
The median in South West is £41,645 against £40,845 across the UK, 2.0% higher. ONS marks the South West figure as imprecise, so treat the gap as indicative.
Has specialist nurse pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +6.2% for this occupation in South West. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
Similar roles
Official figures show the market. Your salary shows what employers actually pay.
Add your salary anonymously