The Trust is committed to providing outstanding care and to support this the Trust ensures we have a diverse, talented and high performing workforce where gender equity is considered at all stages of employment.
Gender Pay Gap legislation was introduced in 2017 and requires employers with 250 or more employees to publish statutory calculations by 30th March each year.
Gender Pay Gap information aims to establish the pay gap between male and female employees as at 31st March the previous year. For example, 31st March 2025 pay information must be published by 30th March 2026 on the employer's website.
The requirements of the legislation are that employers must publish six calculations:
- Average gender pay gap as a mean average;
- Average gender pay gap as a median average;
- Average bonus gender pay gap as a mean average;
- Average bonus gender pay gap as a median average;
- Proportion of males receiving a bonus payment and proportion of females receiving a bonus payment;
- Proportion of males and females when divided into four groups ordered from lowest to highest pay
Fostering and supporting a diverse and inclusive workforce is at the forefront of our Trust’s plans to be a great place to work and enable ongoing delivery of excellent patient care.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission defines the difference between equal pay and the gender pay gap as follows:
- Equal pay means that men and women in the same employment performing equal work must receive equal pay, as set out in the Equality Act 2010.
- The gender pay gap is a measure of the difference between men’s and women’s average earnings across an organisation or the labour market. It is expressed as a percentage of men’s earnings.
Our People
Every role at the Trust is evaluated through the national NHS job evaluation scheme (Agenda for Change roles). Panels of trained colleagues within the Trust conduct job evaluations through the review of a job description and person specification; the post holder is not evaluated and there is no reference to gender or any other protected characteristics of existing or potential job holders.
Once evaluated, a role is placed within a band following set national bands. Each band varies depending upon levels of responsibility and/or specialism . Bandings enable clinical and non-clinical staff to progress through the grades of pay within nationally set bands as they develop their careers and their years of service in the NHS.
The Trust has adopted and implemented national NHS pay schemes which have undergone equality analysis.
Why do we have a pay gap?
The reason for the gender pay gap is an imbalance in the numbers of men and women across the whole workforce with proportionately more men in higher paid roles.
Our consultant workforce is predominately male and, as the highest paid staff group, this will have an impact on the pay gap.
Consideration also has to be given to the types of roles that are traditionally held by women, for example, administration and clerical Whilst these traditional roles are slowly changing the impact of this will take time.
A high proportion of women are also more likely to work part-time (approximately 84% of men work full time compared to approximately 60% of women) and this will impact on the pay gap. Data source: Office for National Statistics.
Analysis of our workforce data shows that 84% of our colleagues are female and 16% are male.
Gender Pay Gap Report at a glance
Gender pay gaps:
- 27% mean gap: The mean gap between men and women remained at 27%.
- 10% median gap: The median gap between men and women improved to 10%, which is a decrease from 14% in 2024/2025.
Key drivers of the gap:
- Greater proportion of men in higher-paid medical roles
- Women are more likely to work part-time
Bonus pay:
The mean bonus gap was 22% in favour of men; the median bonus gap was 21% in favour of women.
Our workforce profile
| Staff group | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| All staff | 83.6% | 16.4% |
| Medical and dental | 40% | 60% |
| Nursing and midwifery | 95.1% | 4.9% |
| Scientific and technical | 83.9% | 16.1% |
| Estates and ancillary | 64.8% | 35.2% |
| Healthcare scientists | 62% | 38% |
| Additional clinical services | 91.4% | 8.6% |
| Allied health professionals | 79.8% | 20.2% |
| Administrative and clerical | 82.5% | 17.5% |
Gender pay gap calculations
Gender pay gap as a mean (average)
As of the 31st March 2025, the gender pay gap, when expressed as a mean (average), shows that female staff earn £7.24 less than male staff. This equates to a 27% pay gap. This remains the same as the previous year.
| Female | Male | Difference from previous year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (Average) hourly rate | £19.50 | £26.74 | No change |
Gender pay gap as a median average
As of the 31st March 2025, the gender pay gap, when expressed as a median average, shows that female staff earn £1.93 less than male staff. This equates to a 10% pay gap. This is an improvement of 4% on our previous year gender pay gap median (average).
| Female | Male | Difference from previous year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median (Average) hourly rate | £17.40 | £19.33 | 4% improvement |
Gender Pay Gap Benchmarking
The table below shows the 2024/2025 data within the North East and North Cumbria system who are required to submit gender pay gap data. This evidences that we are comparative to our partners across the region (excluding NEAS). The average mean across the NENC system was 21% and the average median was 9.5% for 2024/2025.
The Office for National Statistics report the overall UK median pay gap for all employees was 12.8% as of April 2025. The median pay gap was 13.1% as of April 2024.
| Trust Name | Gender Pay Gap - Hourly Rate - Mean | Gender Pay Gap - Hourly Rate - Median |
|---|---|---|
| County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust | 29.56% | 20.52% |
| Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust | 9.9% | -2.29% |
| Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust | 23.6% | 10.03% |
| North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust | 27% | 14% |
| North East Ambulance Service | 0.29% | 0.31% |
| North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust | 33.3% | 20.7% |
| Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | 19.09% | 4.44% |
| South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 29.08% | 21.41% |
| South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust | 31.03% | 13.2% |
| Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust | 10.82% | 0% |
| Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 21.59% | 2.29% |
Bonus pay gap
The National Clinical Impact Awards (NCIA) national award scheme, along with the removal of local Clinical Excellence Awards (CEAs), may potentially impact the gender pay gap in future scheme is considered a bonus scheme. It is open only to eligible consultants within the Trust who meet nationally set criteria which the Trust has no influence or control over. Eligibility applies to substantive consultants who have been employed by the Trust for at least one year. The revised re years.
The Trust employs 60% male and 40% female within the Medical and Dental workforce.
Bonus gender pay gap as a mean (average)
The mean gender bonus pay gap shows that female staff earned 22% less than male staff. This represents a difference of £2,787.76 per annum and is a 3% decrease compared with our previous year gender pay gap.
Gender pay gap as a median
As of the 31st March 2025, the median bonus pay shows that female staff earned 21% more than male staff. This equates to a difference of £1,545.54 per annum.
Contributory factors for improvement to median
Several factors have contributed to the change in the median bonus gap:
- The number of consultants receiving a bonus has significantly decreased, from 160 in 2024 to 53 in 2025. This is due to the transfer to a national scheme and abolition of the local award scheme.
- The local 2018 Clinical Excellence Awards (CEAs) were paid as a one‑off equal-value payment to all consultants in 2024. Previously, consultants had to apply individually, and not all did so, which resulted in an equal median bonus for 2024.
- The number of consultants still receiving pre‑2018 CEAs (which were higher in value and predominantly awarded to male consultants) has reduced.
Gender pay gap by quartiles
Rates of pay are placed into four equal sections (quartiles) and shows the percentage of males and females in each quartile.
The below shows the percentage of employees by gender with Quartile 1 being Low and Quartile 4 being High as of the 31st March 2025.
| Quartile | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| Quartile 1 | 86% | 14% |
| Quartile 2 | 95% | 5% |
| Quartile 3 | 89% | 11% |
| Quartile 4 | 75% | 25% |
Ongoing activity to close the Gender Pay Gap
Our ongoing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) work is focused on creating a culture within the Trust where women can succeed, and we will continue to provide a range of support for our female colleagues.
We are committed to ensuring that all colleagues have access to flexible and agile working arrangements wherever possible, supporting a positive work–life balance while maintaining high‑quality services for our patients. We recognise that flexibility empowers many colleagues to perform at their best and helps ensure that career development is not limited by personal circumstances outside the workplace.
We will continue to celebrate women through events and awareness‑raising activities. This includes our upcoming International Women’s Day event in March, which will bring colleagues together to recognise achievements, share experiences, and highlight the contributions of women across the organisation. By sharing the stories of inspirational women leaders, we aim to encourage others to progress in their own career journeys with us.
As part of our commitment to strengthening support for women, we will also be launching a Women’s Network. This network will provide a dedicated space for connection, peer support, professional development, and discussion of issues affecting women in the workplace. It will play a key role in shaping future initiatives and ensuring women’s voices are represented across the Trust.
We will also continue our positive work around menopause, reducing stigma and ensuring that appropriate support is in place for women during perimenopause and post‑menopause. Our aim is to enable colleagues to thrive in their careers despite the challenges they may experience.
Conclusion
It is important, when reviewing the data, to consider the underlying reasons for the gender pay gap. The evidence presented in this report shows that one of the main contributory factors is the overrepresentation of men in senior roles within a workforce that is predominantly made up of women.
While women represent 84% of our overall workforce and men 16%, our medical workforce is 40% women and 60% men.
The Trust has noted a significant improvement in the bonus pay gap, particularly within the median calculations. We have also highlighted the need to consider the impact of roles traditionally held by women, as well as the fact that women are more likely than men to work part‑time. Both factors influence pay distribution across the organisation.
We acknowledge that there is still work to do to reduce the gender pay gap, as outlined in this report. It is also important to recognise that achieving a 0% gap is not realistic due to the range of structural and demographic factors described. However, what is achievable - and what we are firmly committed to - is continued reduction of the gap.
We are confident that the ongoing support and initiatives detailed in this report will help us make meaningful progress.