NHS Pay

ESR Employee Self-Service: What You Can Do in ESR

FP FrontlinePay Editorial
Updated October 2026

Independent guidance — not affiliated with NHS England or DHSC

Short answer

ESR employee self-service lets you, as an NHS employee in England or Wales, view and update your own personal details, view payslips and P60s, enter or change your bank account, request flexible working, book or view leave, and do e-learning and appraisals, on any device that can reach ESR. You cannot change your own band, hours or job details: you can only see them. Which options you actually have depends on what your employer has switched on, and on your access level, so the screens differ between trusts. Nothing here replaces advice from your ESR or payroll team.

This guide is for staff who have an ESR login and want to know what it is for, and for new starters who have just been told to "sort it on ESR". It follows the self-service functional guide published by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), and deliberately avoids describing individual screens, because employers configure them and they change. FrontlinePay is independent and not affiliated with NHSBSA, NHS England or ESR.

What self-service is

ESR is the workforce system NHSBSA runs for the NHS in England and Wales, combining HR and payroll. Self-service is the front door for employees. NHSBSA's guide describes the idea as employees viewing and editing their own data at a time of their choosing, without the HR team having to key it in, which also keeps the record accurate. It works through a home page, the My ESR dashboard, made up of boxes called portlets. If you cannot get in, see our ESR login help.

What you can do

NHSBSA's functional guide lists these employee functions at the full self-service level:

  • ✓ Update your personal information, wellbeing information, address and emergency contact or next of kin details.
  • ✓ Enter or amend your bank account details.
  • ✓ View your payslips and P60s (see how to see your payslip and P60 and P45).
  • ✓ Request flexible working arrangements, or declare a conflict of interest.
  • ✓ Enrol on classes, play e-learning, create your own learning paths, and take part in appraisals and other reviews such as supervision and health and wellbeing.
  • ✓ Book and view annual leave and bank holidays, where your employer uses that function.
  • ✓ See the Total Reward Statement, including pension information.
  • ✓ Start your own end of employment process, which NHSBSA says helps data quality and reduces overpayments from late notice of leaving.

NHS England's ESR page adds that ESR automatically invites staff to take part in an online exit questionnaire, which is available to any organisation using ESR self-service.

If you are thinking about flexible working, our Flexible Working Request Pack helps you build the request before you submit it.

What you cannot change

The same guide is clear that employees cannot change their own assignment information, meaning the department, position and working conditions attached to your post. You can view these. Your protected-characteristics information is yours to update, and ESR prompts you to review it at least annually. Immunisation and checks data is shown read only.

You can change

Personal details, address, emergency contacts, bank account, wellbeing information, equality and diversity information, your learning, and your own requests such as flexible working.

You can only view

Your assignment (post, department, grade, hours, supervisor, pay step), your payslips and P60s, and immunisation and checks records.

The home page boxes (portlets)

NHSBSA lists these nationally available portlets. Your employer chooses which appear:

  • ✓ Announcements: local and national messages.
  • ✓ Payslips/P60s: view payslips and P60s.
  • ✓ My Compliance: your compliance status, with links to play e-learning or find classroom courses.
  • ✓ My Annual Leave: book and view annual leave and bank holidays.
  • ✓ Total Rewards: opens your Total Reward Statement, including pension information.
  • ✓ My Personal Information: the page where updates are made, with a prompt to review your details annually.
  • ✓ My ESR Calendar: events relevant to you in the next 7 days.
  • ✓ Appraisals and Reviews: when appraisals are due, and your pay step progress, including when the next pay-affecting step and review dates fall.
  • ✓ My Employment: grade, hours, pay step, pay step (increment) date, supervisor and service dates.
  • ✓ My Equality and Diversity: protected-characteristics data.
  • ✓ Local Links: shortcuts your organisation chooses to add.

The My Employment portlet is useful if you are checking you are on the right pay point; see our pay progression guide and the 2026/27 Agenda for Change pay scales.

Two levels of access

NHSBSA's guide says employers can choose between two levels. Employee Self Service is the full set above. A second, limited access level is based on standard supervisor self-service and does not require an NHS smartcard, but holders cannot make changes that would usually need Registration Authority approval. Everyone also has the option of extra security: you can opt into multi-factor authentication and register a mobile device when logging in over the internet.

Notifications and your email address

ESR sends notifications about updates to your record, such as absence requests, learning and expiry dates. NHSBSA's guide says they are available in ESR and also delivered by email, that some are actionable from the email, and that it recommends a suitable address is recorded on your record, ideally though not exclusively an nhs.net address or an approved secure domain. This matters because the password reset on ESR depends on the email on your record: if it is out of date, you could be locked out of the reset route. Check it.

Why it varies by employer

  • • Administrators choose which portlets appear and can add local links and messages.
  • • Employers choose the access level, and whether you can sign in from the internet or only from work.
  • • Some functions, such as leave booking, may sit in an e-rostering system instead. See our e-rostering explainer.
  • • NHSBSA says it is replacing ESR over time with a Future NHS Workforce Solution, so features and names will change.

Want a heads-up when we add more NHS admin guides?

No spam, just the occasional useful addition to the site.

Free. Independent, not affiliated with the NHS. Every email has an unsubscribe link. See our privacy policy.

Sources and date checked

Checked 19 October 2026.

Related guides

ESR Login Help for NHS Staff

Sign-in routes and what to do when they fail.

How to See Your Payslip on ESR

Finding payslips, and getting one when ESR is offline.

How to Read Your NHS Payslip

What each line means.

NHS Pay Progression and Increments

How the pay step shown in My Employment works.

NHS Total Reward Statement Explained

The statement behind the Total Rewards box.

Frequently asked questions

What is ESR employee self-service? +
It is the part of the Electronic Staff Record that lets an NHS employee see and maintain their own information, rather than going through the HR or payroll team for every change. NHSBSA's functional guide says it is designed to give employees independence, empowerment and control over their data, and that remote access means you can do it when you choose without being on a work network.
Can I change my bank details in ESR? +
NHSBSA's functional guide lists entering or amending bank account details among the things an employee can do in self-service. Whether your employer has switched that on, and what extra checks it applies, is a local decision. If the option is missing, ask your payroll team. Do not email bank details to anyone, and be cautious about any request to confirm them by text or email.
Can I change my job title, band or hours in ESR? +
No. NHSBSA's guide says employees cannot make changes to their own assignment information, though they can view it, including the department, the position and working conditions. Changes to your band, pay step, contracted hours or job title are made by your employer after the appropriate approval, not by you.
Can I resign through ESR? +
The NHSBSA guide says employees have the ability to hand in their notice by starting their own end of employment process. That is a function your employer may or may not enable, and it does not replace the written notice your contract and local policy require. Always confirm your resignation in the way your contract expects and speak to your manager first. If you are unsure, our guide on NHS notice periods covers the basics.
Where does my annual leave appear in ESR? +
NHSBSA's guide describes a My Annual Leave portlet that lets an employee book and view annual leave or bank holidays. Many NHS staff, particularly those on rotas, book leave through an e-rostering system instead, and the two are not always linked. Check your local policy for which one is the record. Our e-rostering explainer covers that side.
Can I see my pay step and the date of my next increment? +
NHSBSA's guide says the My Employment portlet can show your grade and pay step (for example, step 14 of 17) along with the pay step date, which it describes as the incremental date, and the Appraisals and Reviews portlet shows when the next pay step is. What your employer displays can vary. For how increments work, see our pay progression guide.
Why can I not see some of these options? +
Because each organisation chooses which portlets and self-service functions it switches on, and also which of the two access levels each user gets. If a function in this guide is missing for you, it is more likely to be a local set-up decision than a fault. Ask the ESR team or HR at your employer, not NHSBSA.

General information based on NHS Business Services Authority material at the date shown. Not affiliated with NHSBSA, ESR or any NHS employer, and not HR, legal or financial advice.

Free download: 2026/27 Agenda for Change pay scales

One page, every band, annual and hourly. We'll also email you when a pay award, back pay date or pay-scale change is confirmed.

Free. Independent, not affiliated with the NHS. Every email has an unsubscribe link. See our privacy policy.