NHS Job & Trust Match Advisor

Tell us your profession, band and preferences. Get a free shortlist of matching NHS trusts with pay at your band, a free list of next steps, then optional AI guidance on your best fits. Last updated October 2026.

Applying from outside the UK? See NHS International Recruitment for visas, registration and relocation.

1

Tell us what you're looking for

Looking for
Preferred region(s)

Your answers above is saved in this browser only (not sent to us) so it survives a trip to checkout.

2

Your matched trusts, with pay at your band

Free, always

Based on your region and organisation-type preferences. No account, no AI, no payment. Pick a region above to narrow this down, or browse the nationwide list below. Choose an Agenda for Change band above to see pay at each trust.

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

Acute

West Yorkshire · England

View trust page

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Specialist

North West England · England

View trust page

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board

Health Board

South East Wales · Wales

View trust page

Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Acute

South East England · England

  • Pays High Cost Area Supplement (fringe zone)

View trust page

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Mental Health

South West England · England

View trust page

Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Acute

South Yorkshire · England

View trust page

Barts Health NHS Trust

Acute

London · England

  • Pays High Cost Area Supplement (inner zone)

View trust page

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Acute

East of England · England

View trust page

Compare trusts side by side

Pay uses the 2026/27 Agenda for Change scale for England (Northern Ireland is shown on the England scale, so check locally), the Welsh scale for Welsh boards and the Scotland scale for Scottish boards. Entry to top of band; where you start depends on experience. HCAS is for England only. Our trust data covers region, type and HCAS zone, not vacancies, staff survey results or CQC ratings, so check those on the trust's own site. Browse all NHS trusts & health boards.

3

Your next steps

Free, no AI
4

Your personalised AI match guidance

Fill in profession, band, qualifications, employment preference, visa status and availability above first.

Want us to keep you posted?

Optional. This does not send you your shortlist (use the PDF button above for that). It tells us you would like to hear about relevant NHS roles and resources. Your shortlist and AI guidance are yours either way.

This tool gives general guidance based on publicly available trust information, not a guarantee of any specific job or offer. FrontlinePay is an independent site and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the NHS, any NHS trust, NHS England, or any recruitment agency.

Short answer

Pick your profession, band, regions and organisation type and you get an instant free shortlist of NHS trusts with full-time pay at your band (including High Cost Area Supplement), sortable by pay, plus free next steps and a PDF. One AI match guidance is free per device; unlimited guidance and follow-ups are £9.99 one-off for 90 days. It uses region, type and HCAS data, not live vacancies.

How the free trust matcher works

The matcher scores every trust in our registry against what you tell it: preferred regions, organisation type (acute, mental health, community, ambulance, health board or specialist) and whether you would relocate. If you will not relocate it keeps to your regions; if you will, it ranks your preferences first and shows the rest. If you pick a band, each card shows entry-to-top full-time pay at that band for that trust. It is deterministic: the same answers always give the same list, with no AI and nothing leaving your browser. Every card links to the trust's own page on FrontlinePay.

NHS pay by trust: what the High Cost Area Supplement is worth

Within each Agenda for Change scale, basic pay for a band is the same everywhere. What differs between trusts in England is the High Cost Area Supplement (HCAS): a percentage of basic pay with a minimum and maximum, for fringe, outer London and inner London. Using the 2026/27 figures in our pay data, here is what that means for full-time pay at Band 5 and Band 6 (entry to top of band, including HCAS):

HCAS zone Rate and limits Band 5Band 6
No HCAS (most of England) None £32,073 to £39,043 £39,959 to £48,117
Fringe 5%, min £1,346, max £2,270 £33,677 to £40,995 £41,957 to £50,387
Outer London 15%, min £4,870, max £6,137 £36,943 to £44,899 £45,953 to £54,254
Inner London 20%, min £5,794, max £8,746 £38,488 to £46,852 £47,951 to £56,863

Source: NHS Employers' 2026/27 pay scales and HCAS (see NHS Employers: pay scales 2026/27), as used in our NHS Pay Calculator. Band pay points between entry and top are not shown here. HCAS applies in England only. For take-home pay after tax, pension and student loan, use the pay calculator.

Best NHS trusts to work for: what to check beyond pay

Pay is the part we can show you straight. Whether a trust is a good place to work depends on things our data does not cover, and we would rather say so than invent a ranking. Before you apply, look at the trust's published NHS Staff Survey results, its Care Quality Commission inspection rating, the specific team's rota and staffing, travel and housing costs, and what development the trust offers at your band. Our trust profiles cover region, type and pay zone, and the trust comparison tool puts several side by side.

  • ✓ Check the trust's own pages for current vacancies on NHS Jobs and its recruitment process
  • ✓ Look up the trust's staff survey and CQC rating, and ask about the team you would join at interview
  • ✓ Compare total pay including HCAS, and unsocial hours enhancements on the rota
  • ✓ Weigh commute, parking and housing costs against the pay difference
  • ✓ Ask about preceptorship, supervision and development if you are newly qualified or moving band

Permanent, bank or agency: which suits you?

A permanent post gives you a substantive contract on Agenda for Change terms with NHS Pension Scheme membership. Bank work is flexible shifts through a trust's own staff bank, and agency work is arranged through an agency, usually on different pay arrangements. Tell the tool which you want and the AI guidance adjusts. Whichever you choose, get pay, pension and holiday terms in writing before you accept. If you are weighing a move between trusts, see moving between NHS trusts: pay and pension.

Built for international candidates too

If you need visa sponsorship, your free next steps point to which trusts sponsor visas and the Health and Care Worker visa. The wider International Recruitment cluster covers registration, English tests, timelines and relocation. This is orientation, not immigration advice.

Free versus Pro

FeatureFreePro (£9.99, 90 days, one-off)
Trust shortlist, pay at your band, sort by payUnlimitedUnlimited
Rules-based next steps and PDF of your shortlistUnlimitedUnlimited
AI match guidance1 AI use per deviceUnlimited, re-run any time
Follow-up questions about your shortlistNo (the free use is one call)Unlimited

Pro is a one-off payment with no subscription, and is also included in FrontlinePay Pro.

ℹPair it with the next steps in your application

Once you have a shortlist, the two things that most improve your chances are a statement that evidences the person specification and practised values-based answers. Use the NHS CV & Supporting Statement Checker and the values-based interview practice, both with free instant checks.

Why trust this tool

  • ✓ Pay comes from the same 2026/27 Agenda for Change scales and HCAS rules as our NHS Pay Calculator
  • ✓ A free, deterministic shortlist: no AI, no account, no payment
  • ✓ Honest about limits: no vacancies, staff survey or CQC data, and it says so
  • ✓ One free AI use per device, and optional email capture that says exactly what it sends
  • ✓ Reviewed and current as of October 2026. Independent, not affiliated with the NHS or any trust or recruitment agency

Related guides and tools

NHS Trusts & Health Boards

Profiles for every trust in our registry: region, type and HCAS zone.

NHS Trust Comparison Tool

Compare trusts side by side.

NHS Pay Calculator

Take-home pay for a band, point and HCAS zone.

How to Find NHS Jobs Near You

Searching and saving searches on NHS Jobs.

Moving Between NHS Trusts: Pay and Pension

What carries over when you change trust.

NHS CV & Supporting Statement Checker

A free instant check before you apply.

NHS Values-Based Interview Questions

Free STAR practice for the interview stage.

International Recruitment to the NHS

Visas, registration and relocation.

Frequently asked questions

Is the trust shortlist really free, with no account needed? +
Yes. As soon as you pick a region, organisation type or relocation preference the shortlist updates using deterministic matching in your browser: no AI call, no account and no payment. Choose an Agenda for Change band and each trust card also shows pay at that band. The AI guidance is an optional extra.
How is pay at my band calculated? +
From the 2026/27 Agenda for Change scales already used across FrontlinePay: the England scale for trusts in England and Northern Ireland (the Northern Ireland 2026/27 award is not yet confirmed, so check locally), the Welsh scale for Welsh health boards, the Scotland scale for Scottish boards, and the England High Cost Area Supplement for trusts in a fringe, outer or inner London zone. It shows entry to top of the band, full-time and before tax. Where you start depends on your experience and the trust's rules.
Which NHS trusts pay the most? +
Basic pay for a band is national within each scale, so the main difference between trusts in England is the High Cost Area Supplement: 5% for fringe, 15% for outer London and 20% for inner London, each with a minimum and maximum amount. Use the 'Highest pay' sort to see it at your band. Beyond pay, local factors such as unsocial hours rotas, staffing, travel and housing costs often matter more day to day.
What does the AI match guidance add on top of the shortlist? +
The shortlist shows which trusts fit your region and type preferences. The AI looks at your profession, band, qualifications summary, employment preference, visa position and availability alongside that shortlist, and explains in plain English which fits best and why, what to prepare, and what to read next. You get one AI use free per device.
Does it show current vacancies? +
No. It works from general facts about each trust (region, organisation type and HCAS zone), not live vacancies, staffing levels or culture. Search live jobs on NHS Jobs, and use this tool to decide where to look.
Can it tell me the best NHS trust to work for? +
Not honestly, because 'best' depends on what matters to you and our data does not include staff survey results or inspection ratings. For those, use the NHS Staff Survey results and the Care Quality Commission's published ratings for each trust, alongside the pay and location view here.
I need visa sponsorship. Does this help? +
In general terms. If you say you need sponsorship, your free next steps point to our guides on which trusts sponsor and on the Health and Care Worker visa, and the AI guidance covers right to work in context. It is orientation, not immigration advice: check the Home Office rules and your employer's sponsor status before relying on anything.
What is the difference between bank, agency and permanent work? +
A permanent post gives you a substantive contract with Agenda for Change terms and NHS Pension Scheme membership. Bank work is flexible shifts with a trust's own staff bank, and agency work is arranged through an agency, usually at different pay arrangements. Tell the tool which you want and the AI guidance takes it into account. Check pay, pension and holiday terms in writing before accepting any offer.
What happens to my details, and what does the optional email box do? +
Your answers are saved in your browser only (with a clear button) so they survive checkout. If you use the AI, your answers and the AI's response are sent to Google's Gemini model through our servers and logged for quality review, linked to your account if signed in. The optional 'Keep me posted' box, if you tick consent, sends us your email with the profession, band, regions, qualifications summary, visa status and availability you entered. It does not email your shortlist: use the PDF button for that.
Why isn't every NHS trust in the shortlist? +
The matcher uses the same registry as our trusts hub, which covers major acute, mental health, ambulance, community and specialist trusts and health boards across the UK rather than every NHS employer. If none of your preferred region is covered you get the best nationwide matches with a clear note.