Salary and bands
A medical physicist salary in the UK depends on whether the role is a trainee post, registered clinical scientist post, senior specialist role, principal post, consultant-level role or a job outside the NHS. In the NHS, most medical physics clinical scientist salaries are linked to Agenda for Change bands, so the easiest way to understand pay is to read the job advert’s band first.
STP trainee pay
NSHCS says STP trainees are salaried during the programme and paid at Agenda for Change Band 6.
Registered scientist roles
Qualified HCPC-registered clinical scientist posts in medical physics are commonly advertised around Band 7, with variation by department and duties.
Senior and consultant roles
Senior, principal, consultant and head-of-service roles can move into Band 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d or higher, depending on responsibility.
Quick answer: how much does a medical physicist earn in the UK?
For NHS roles in England, the 2026/27 Agenda for Change pay scales list Band 6 at £39,959 to £48,117, Band 7 at £49,387 to £56,515, Band 8a at £57,528 to £64,750, Band 8b at £66,582 to £77,368 and Band 8c at £79,504 to £91,609. Those figures are national basic pay before any relevant high-cost area supplements, local terms, overtime rules or employer-specific arrangements.
In practice, a trainee medical physicist on the STP is usually aligned with Band 6. A newly registered clinical scientist post is often around Band 7. Senior specialist and leadership posts can move into Band 8a and above. Always check the live advert because the band, registration requirement and specialty duties matter more than the job title alone.
Jump to salary information
- NHS medical physics salary table
- STP trainee salary
- Qualified clinical scientist pay
- Senior, principal and consultant roles
- Private sector, industry and academia
- How to read salary in adverts
- Salary FAQs
NHS medical physics salary bands in England, 2026/27
The table below uses NHS Employers’ 2026/27 Agenda for Change annual pay scales for England, effective from 1 April 2026. Medical physics adverts may use these bands for clinical scientist, trainee, technologist, radiotherapy physics, imaging physics, nuclear medicine, radiation protection and leadership roles.
| NHS band | 2026/27 annual basic pay | How this can map to medical physics roles | What to check in the advert |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 5 | £32,073, £34,592, £39,043 | Some assistant, technologist, practitioner, trainee or pre-registration roles may appear around this level. | Whether the job is a clinical scientist route, a technologist route, or a support/practitioner role. |
| Band 6 | £39,959, £42,170, £48,117 | STP trainee clinical scientist posts are normally paid at Band 6. Some specialist technologist or early scientist roles may also sit here. | Whether MSc/STP training is included, whether registration is required, and whether the post is genuinely a training post. |
| Band 7 | £49,387, £51,932, £56,515 | Common for registered clinical scientist posts after STP or equivalent registration, depending on local structure. | HCPC registration, specialism, equipment responsibility, quality assurance duties and on-call or multi-site expectations. |
| Band 8a | £57,528, £60,417, £64,750 | Senior clinical scientist or specialist medical physicist roles with more autonomy, training, QA, project or modality responsibility. | Whether the post includes supervision, service development, radiation protection adviser work, modality leadership or research responsibility. |
| Band 8b | £66,582, £70,896, £77,368 | Principal physicist, lead physicist or highly specialist posts, often with significant service or governance responsibility. | Line management, service leadership, incident governance, commissioning, clinical risk and strategic planning duties. |
| Band 8c | £79,504, £84,346, £91,609 | Consultant-level, head-of-service or major departmental leadership roles in some organisations. | Whether the role is a consultant clinical scientist, medical physics expert, head of section or wider service lead. |
| Band 8d and Band 9 | Band 8d: £94,356 to £108,814. Band 9: £112,782 to £129,783. | Senior service leadership, head-of-department, director-level or very large-scope posts. | Board-level responsibility, cross-site services, major budget accountability and organisation-wide governance. |
STP trainee medical physicist salary
The NHS Scientist Training Programme is a paid three-year training route. NSHCS states that trainees are salaried at Agenda for Change Band 6 during the programme, with the academic part of training funded. That makes STP salary easier to understand than many graduate schemes: look at the current Band 6 pay scale, then check the specific advert and employer details.
For 2026/27 in England, Band 6 is listed as £39,959 at entry, £42,170 at the intermediate step and £48,117 at the top step. Do not assume every trainee automatically receives every step immediately. Pay progression depends on NHS terms, time in post, local employment arrangements and successful progression requirements.
Qualified clinical scientist pay
After the STP or an approved equivalent route, medical physicists normally aim for HCPC registration as a Clinical Scientist. Qualified clinical scientist posts are often advertised around Band 7, but the exact band depends on the role. A diagnostic imaging physicist, radiotherapy physicist, nuclear medicine physicist, MRI physicist or radiation safety physicist may sit at a different band if the responsibilities are different.
A Band 7 job usually expects more independent scientific practice than a trainee post. The advert may ask for HCPC registration, evidence of specialist competence, experience with quality assurance, understanding of clinical governance and the ability to communicate risk or technical findings to multidisciplinary teams.
Senior, principal and consultant medical physicist salaries
Senior progression is not only about time served. A higher band normally means a broader scope of responsibility: leading quality assurance, supervising trainees, handling incident review, validating equipment, supporting service development, advising clinicians, managing staff or carrying statutory/radiation protection responsibilities.
- Band 8a: often senior clinical scientist or specialist roles with significant technical responsibility.
- Band 8b: often principal or lead physicist roles with section-level leadership or specialist accountability.
- Band 8c: may include consultant clinical scientist, head-of-section or major service leadership roles.
- Band 8d/9: senior departmental or organisational leadership where the scope is much wider than one technical area.
Medical physicist pay outside the NHS
Not every medical physics job follows NHS Agenda for Change. Private oncology providers, imaging companies, radiotherapy equipment manufacturers, universities, contract research organisations, software suppliers and radiation protection consultancies may use their own salary structures. Some roles are still benchmarked against NHS bands, but others are market-priced, especially in industry or consultancy.
Outside the NHS, compare the whole package, not only the headline salary. Look for pension, annual leave, on-call expectations, travel, professional registration support, conference funding, remote or hybrid work, private healthcare, bonus, training budget and whether the role keeps you close to clinical practice.
How to read a medical physics salary advert
Two jobs with similar titles can mean very different things. A “Medical Physicist” advert might be a trainee post, a registered clinical scientist role, a principal physicist post, a radiation protection adviser role, a clinical technologist role, a research post or a private-sector applications role. Read the person specification before comparing salaries.
- Band: tells you the NHS pay range, but not the full responsibilities.
- Registration: check whether HCPC registration is essential, desirable or not relevant.
- Specialism: radiotherapy, imaging, nuclear medicine, radiation protection and MRI posts can have different duties.
- Training: a lower salary may still be attractive if it includes a formal training route.
- Location: London and high-cost areas can change total pay.
- Contract: full-time, part-time, fixed-term, secondment and training contracts are not directly comparable.
Medical physicist salary FAQs
What band is a trainee medical physicist?
STP trainee clinical scientist posts are normally paid at Agenda for Change Band 6. NSHCS says STP trainees are salaried at Band 6 during the programme.
What band is a qualified medical physicist?
Qualified HCPC-registered clinical scientist roles in medical physics are commonly advertised around Band 7, but this is not a fixed rule. Some specialist or senior roles are Band 8a or above, while some adjacent technologist or pre-registration roles can sit at different bands.
Can a medical physicist earn over £70,000?
Yes, some senior NHS medical physics roles can exceed £70,000, especially Band 8b and above or posts with high-cost area supplements. Outside the NHS, pay depends on the employer, sector and role scope.
Does London pay more?
NHS roles in London and some nearby areas can include high-cost area supplements. NHS Employers publishes HCAS-inclusive rates, but individual adverts should state the exact salary range.
Is private-sector medical physics pay higher than NHS pay?
Sometimes, but not always. Private oncology, imaging, software, consultancy and manufacturer roles can pay differently, but the whole package matters: pension, training, clinical exposure, travel, stability, professional development and workload can all change the value of a job.
Where should I check the current salary?
Use the live job advert first, then the current NHS Employers pay scales if the advert uses Agenda for Change. For STP posts, use NSHCS recruitment guidance and the employer advert for that recruitment round.
Sources: NHS Employers 2026/27 pay scales, NSHCS STP applicant FAQs, NHS Health Careers clinical scientist profile, IPEM getting started in MPCE, NHS Scotland medical physicist profile.