Community nurses to see mileage reimbursement rates increase for longer journeys

Community nurses and other NHS staff will see mileage reimbursement rates increase for longer journeys, following the latest review of rates carried out by the NHS Staff Council.

NHS Employers has confirmed that car mileage rates per mile for journeys over 3,500 miles will increase from 21p per mile to 36p per mile.

The change will apply from June 2026, along with reimbursement rates per mile up to 3,500 returning from 56p back to 59p per mile, six months after rates decreased.

Changes also include the threshold of 3,500 miles increasing to 4,500 miles from July to ‘support those staff who undertake the most mileage, particularly those who look after patients in the community and often travel the furthest for work’.

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The changes will apply to staff employed under Agenda for Change (AfC) terms and conditions, and staff in organisations that use AfC reimbursement rates from Section 17 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook.

The new rates come as NHS Employers introduce a ‘new mechanism’ for calculating mileage reimbursement.

The new mechanism represents a ‘significant update’ to the existing system and uses a measure of inflation from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to review changes in the costs of using a personal car for work.

It will replace the existing mechanism and will adjust with the fluctuations in the costs of motoring, not just fuel prices alone.

The agreement follows more than a year of ‘detailed negotiations and extensive consultation’ by employers and trade unions.

Minister of state for secondary health Karin Smyth said: ‘It’s only right that staff are fairly reimbursed for travel they undertake as part of their duties.

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‘This important step to make that a reality is an example of what a constructive partnership can achieve for hardworking NHS staff.

‘I want to put on record my thanks to all those who were involved in this, particularly members of the NHS Staff Council.

‘I am looking forward to continuing in this positive spirit as we work with the NHS Staff Council to reform the Agenda for Change pay structure and to prioritise increasing pay for graduates and the lowest paid members of staff.’

Concerns were raised following the announcement of the decrease in December that it would be a ‘tipping point’ for community nurses, with chief executive of the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing, Steph Lawrence, warning they were ‘already struggling due to workload’.

‘In reality a lot of staff who do excess miles effectively end up paying to go to work,’ she said at the time.

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‘If we are to achieve the ambitions of the 10-year plan we need to ensure our community nurses are compensated fairly for the essential driving to reach their patients,’ Ms Lawrence added.

Meanwhile, it was announced earlier this year that NHS nurses on AfC contracts in England and Wales will also receive a 3.3% pay rise for 2026/27. Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said that as part of an overall AfC pay package for 2026/27, the government will, with trade unions, ‘agree and implement funded improvements’ to the pay structure.