NHS Trusts
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals: Pay
Last updated September 2026 · Independent guidance, not affiliated with NHS England or DHSC
Short answer
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust pays the same national Agenda for Change bands as any other acute trust in England, and it sits outside the HCAS zones — the supplement applies to London and a narrow surrounding fringe, not to the wider Sussex coast, so no location weighting is added on top of band pay. Check your precise figure with the NHS Pay Calculator.
What kind of trust is Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals?
As an acute trust, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals employs the typical wide range of clinical and support staff: nursing in most fields, medicine, midwifery, allied health professions, pharmacy, healthcare science, and healthcare assistant, administrative and estates roles. If you're exploring a specific route, our nursing and medicine guides cover pay progression band by band, which is the same wherever the acute trust is based.
No HCAS, but not necessarily a lower overall standard of living
Brighton itself has a notably higher cost of living than much of the rest of the South East, which can come as a surprise given there's no HCAS to offset it — the supplement is defined by proximity to London specifically, not by local cost of living more broadly. It's worth weighing an offer here against your own cost of living expectations rather than assuming "no HCAS" means "cheap area."
Your employer, not just your role
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust is your legal employer if you work here, relevant for continuous service and any redundancy pay calculation. See our explainer on NHS structure for the wider context on how trusts fit together.
Frequently asked questions
Do staff at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals get a London-style supplement? +
No. Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust sits outside the HCAS zones, which cover London and a narrow surrounding fringe rather than the wider South East coast, so pay is the standard national Agenda for Change rate with no supplement added.
Is Brighton close enough to London to qualify for Fringe HCAS? +
Not according to the current HCAS zone definitions — Fringe HCAS covers specific areas immediately outside Greater London, and Brighton falls outside that boundary, so it isn't included even though it's within commuting distance of London for some.
What roles does an acute trust like this typically employ? +
The usual broad range: nursing across most fields, medicine, midwifery, allied health professions, pharmacy, healthcare science, healthcare assistants, and admin and estates staff, all on national Agenda for Change or medical pay scales.