NHS Trusts
Cardiff and Vale UHB: Pay Explained
Last updated September 2026 · Independent guidance, not affiliated with NHS England or DHSC
A university health board, not an English-style trust
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is how NHS Wales organises service delivery across South East Wales — a single health board responsible for planning and running services directly, rather than the separate trust and integrated care board structure used in England. If you're coming from an English NHS employer, our guide to how the NHS is structured explains how the devolved nations' models compare.
Pay: same bands, separate pay award
Agenda for Change bands and job levels are consistent UK-wide, so a Band 6 role at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is recognisably the same as a Band 6 role in England. The genuine difference is that the Welsh Government negotiates and confirms its own NHS pay award each year, separately from England, meaning the specific percentage uplift and when it takes effect can differ. Our Agenda for Change pay scales guide covers the current Wales rate alongside England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so check there rather than assuming English figures apply directly.
No HCAS in Wales
High Cost Area Supplement, in the form applied around London, doesn't have an equivalent in NHS Wales. Pay at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is the applicable Wales Agenda for Change rate for your band and point, with no separate location-based supplement to factor in.
A large health board serving Cardiff and the Vale
Covering South East Wales, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board employs across the typical range of hospital and community roles — nursing, medicine, allied health professions, pharmacy, and administrative and estates staff — all on the Wales Agenda for Change scales. Progression through the bands works on the same principle as elsewhere in the UK: applying for and being appointed to a higher-banded post, rather than automatic promotion based on years served.
Your employer within NHS Wales
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is your specific employer, which matters for continuous service in a comparable way to how trusts function in England — see our redundancy pay guide for general principles, noting that Wales has its own procedures in detail.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cardiff and Vale University Health Board the same kind of organisation as an English NHS trust? +
Not quite — Wales, like Scotland, uses health boards rather than the trust and ICB model used in England. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board plans and delivers NHS services directly across its area of South East Wales. See our NHS structure explainer for the full comparison.
Does NHS Wales pay the same Agenda for Change rates as England? +
The band structure is the same UK-wide, but the Welsh Government sets its own annual NHS pay award, separately from England, so the exact uplift amount and implementation date can differ. Check our pay scales guide for the current Wales-specific figures.
Is there a High Cost Area Supplement anywhere in Wales? +
No — HCAS is specific to London and its fringe under the England pay arrangements. NHS Wales, including Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, does not operate an equivalent zoned supplement scheme.