NHS Trusts
South London and Maudsley NHS Trust: Pay
Last updated September 2026 · Independent guidance, not affiliated with NHS England or DHSC
Short answer
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust pays on the same national Agenda for Change bands as any other mental health trust, and — because it's based in London — sits in the Inner London High Cost Area Supplement zone, so most staff also receive HCAS. Use the NHS Pay Calculator for your exact combined figure.
A specialist mental health trust
As a mental health trust rather than a general acute one, the roles here are concentrated in mental health nursing, psychology, occupational therapy and other allied health professions working across inpatient, community and, in some services, forensic mental health settings. Pay-wise, mental health nursing sits on exactly the same Agenda for Change bands as adult nursing — see our nursing guide for how progression through Bands 5 to 8 works across all fields, mental health included. Allied health professionals working in mental health settings, such as occupational therapists and psychologists, are covered in our AHP guide.
Shift patterns in mental health services
A lot of inpatient mental health provision runs around the clock, so many roles at South London and Maudsley involve a genuine mix of days, nights and weekends rather than a fixed Monday-to-Friday pattern. Where that applies, unsocial hours payments are a real part of take-home pay — the Unsocial Hours Calculator shows what a typical rota adds.
Inner London costs
HCAS here reflects the genuinely higher cost of living in and around London, so it's worth checking the full picture — band pay, HCAS and any unsocial hours together — rather than judging an offer on the headline band alone.
Your employer
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is your legal employer, which matters for continuous service and redundancy pay purposes. See our NHS structure explainer for more.
Frequently asked questions
Does South London and Maudsley pay London weighting? +
Yes. The trust sits in the Inner London High Cost Area Supplement zone, so most staff receive HCAS on top of their Agenda for Change band pay, the same as other Inner London NHS employers.
Is mental health nursing pay different from general adult nursing pay? +
No — mental health nursing sits on the same Agenda for Change band structure as adult nursing, from Band 5 through to Band 8 specialist and leadership roles. The difference is in training route and clinical setting, not in the pay scale itself.
Do staff at a specialist mental health trust get unsocial hours pay? +
Many inpatient mental health services run 24/7, so night and weekend shifts are a real feature of many roles here — worth checking with the Unsocial Hours Calculator if your post involves shift work.