Band 7 nursing roles: what are they and why apply for one?
Explore Band 7 nursing roles and discover why they’re a key step in advancing your nursing career.
As team leaders and clinical specialists, band 7 nurses need experience and strong leadership skills. Find out what to expect and what the pay is like for nurses at band 7.
>Band 7 nursing job on RCNi Nursing Jobs: Specialist Ataxia Nurse
Band 7 nursing roles include ward manager, clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and other managerial and specialist roles.
At this level, nurses are expected to be managers, leaders, clinical experts – and bring years of experience to the role.
>Band 7 nursing job on RCNi Nursing Jobs: Team Lead School Nursing
‘It’s a big move for nurses,’ says Charlotte Collings, a band 7 recruitment and retention nurse at the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in Essex.
While management and leadership are often a significant part of band 7 roles, that does not necessarily mean losing the clinical skills you have spent years training and working for.
>Band 7 nursing job on RCNi Nursing Jobs: Clinical Lead
Ms Collings has found it is possible to stay involved in the clinical side of things. ‘I do a clinical shift each month on different wards,’ she says. ‘I enjoy that opportunity to be hands on, and people see me out on the ward and know that I’m approachable, so it’s helpful for everyone.’
In the NHS in England, band 7 roles come with an Agenda for Change starting salary of £43,742, rising to £50,056 after five years.
This is an abridged version of the article Band 7 nursing roles – what are they and why apply for one? which was first published in Nursing Standard. Read the full article to learn more about band 7 roles, what you need to consider before taking on a band 7 role and what to expect at interview, with some example interview questions and how to answer them.
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