Community nurse mileage reimbursement rates to decrease from January

NHS staff including community nurses will see mileage reimbursement rates decrease from 1 January 2026, following the latest bi-annual review of rates carried out by the NHS Staff Council.

NHS Employers has confirmed that car mileage rates will drop from 59p to 56p per mile for journeys up to 3,500 miles annually, and from 24p to 21p per mile for journeys over 3,500 miles.

Motorcycle rates will decrease from 30p to 28p per mile, while the reserve rate will also drop from 30p to 28p per mile.

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The changes 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.

Steph Lawrence, chief executive of the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing, warned that the reduction could represent a ‘tipping point’ for some community nurses 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.

‘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.

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Mileage reimbursement rates are reviewed twice yearly – in April and November – to incorporate the latest fuel costs into calculations.

NHS Employers said the announced reductions follow ‘significant and sustained decreases’ in fuel prices over the 12-month period ending in October 2025, with the average combined fuel rate meeting the five percent threshold to trigger a change in reimbursement rates.

The NHS Staff Council is currently reviewing the calculation mechanism after the Automobile Association stopped providing data, meaning the current system only reacts to fuel prices and not other motoring costs.

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The Electronic Staff Record system will be updated with the new rates from 1 January 2026, and Section 17 and Annex 12 of the NHS TCS Handbook will be updated in due course, NHS Employers said.

Where local partnerships of employers and trade unions have agreed alternative arrangements, the automatic review is not intended to change or replace these rates, although partnerships may incorporate the new rates into their agreements.