Classification: Official
Publication reference: PRN02469
To:
- Provider trust and integrated care board (ICB) chairs
- Provider trust and ICB chief people officers
Dear colleagues,
Very senior managers pay award for 2026/27
I am writing to formally advise you of the 2026/27 annual pay award for Very Senior Managers (VSMs).
On Thursday 21 May 2026, the government accepted the Senior Salaries Review Body’s (SSRB) headline pay recommendation in a Written Ministerial Statement. In accepting the recommendation, government awarded a 3.0% uplift for VSMs in the NHS in England, with effect from 1 April 2026.
The VSM pay ranges for 2026/27 will also be uplifted by 3.0% with effect from 1 April 2026.
The SSRB’s report to government is available on the GOV.UK website: Senior Salaries Review Body Report: 2026 – GOV.UK. The government also accepted an additional non-pay recommendation to deliver training and support knowledge-sharing for remuneration committees and Chief People Officer, to be delivered during 2026/27.
Annual pay award eligibility for VSMs in 2026/27
Under the VSM pay framework, eligibility for the annual pay award is linked to an organisation’s NHS Oversight Framework (NOF) segmentation, unless an exemption applies.
The criteria for withholding the annual pay award are currently under review. Subject to ministerial confirmation, these will be updated and reflected in Version 2 of the VSM Pay Framework, which will be published once the new capability ratings have been confirmed and a ministerial steer has been received. A further pay circular will then be issued confirming the outcome.
In the meantime, remuneration committees are advised not to apply the pay uplift until both their organisation’s NOF segmentation and capability rating are known, and ministerial confirmation has been received regarding the eligibility criteria for the 2026/27 pay award.
Chief medical officer pay
As in previous years, medical directors employed on the consultant contract will receive the agreed pay award for their consultant pay, in line with the Government’s response to the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body (DDRB) recommendations.
Any extra-contractual payments relating to their role as a VSM will remain subject to the VSM pay framework. For example, a VSM related management allowance may be uplifted by 3.0%, subject to meeting the annual VSM pay award eligibility criteria.
Approvals and next steps
The VSM pay framework sets out the thresholds above which organisations are required to submit a pay case to NHS England.
I would like to confirm that a pay case is not required where the sole reason for pay exceeding the relevant threshold is the implementation of the VSM pay award. Where a VSM’s pay is proposed to increase beyond the normal thresholds for reasons other than the annual pay award, a pay case will still be required.
Our team can provide advice on individual cases and can be contacted at: england.vsmcases@nhs.net.
Thank you for your continued leadership and commitment to supporting patients and staff.
Yours sincerely,
Danny Mortimer, Director General, People Department of Health and Social Care
Further details can be found below: