Gender pay gap report

Author: Inclusivity Team

Report Period: 1st April 2025 - 31st March 2026

Date of Report: Produced: March 2026

The gender pay Gap is the average difference between how much men and women are paid in EEAST. Gender pay gap legislation requires EEAST to publish statutory calculations every year showing how large the pay gap is between men and women.

Three calculations have been published by EEAST to show:

• Average gender pay gap as a mean average.
• Average gender pay gap as a median average.
• Proportion of men and women when divided into four groups (quartiles) ordered from lowest to highest pay.

NB: EEAST employees do not receive bonus pay, therefore calculations in relation to this are not required.

1.2 The median gender pay gap figure.

The median gender pay gap compares the hourly pay of the man and the woman who sit in the middle of their respective pay ranges when all employees are listed from lowest to highest paid.

This shows what a typical man and a typical woman earn.

The median is helpful because it is not affected by very high or very low pay, making it easier to understand everyday pay differences across the organisation. However, it may not fully reflect pay gaps that exist at the very highest or lowest pay levels.

1.3 The Mean Gender Pay Gap figure.

The mean gender pay gap looks at the average hourly pay of all men and all women across the organisation.

It is calculated by adding up everyone’s hourly pay and dividing by the number of employees.

The mean gender pay gap gives an overall picture of pay differences, but it can be influenced by a small number of very high or very low paid roles. This means it can highlight imbalances in senior or specialist positions.

This report looks specifically at the hourly gender pay gap for the reporting period 31st March 2025 - 31 March 2026.

Data is provided on:

• the average difference between men and women’s hourly pay at EEAST.
• the percentage of men and women in the highest, middle and lowest pay groups/quartiles at EEAST.

2.1 Our pay gap progress:

2.2 Workforce gender split

2.3 Hourly pay

EEAST women’s median hourly pay is 3% lower than men’s. This means that

• Women 97p
• Men £1

Women earned 97p for every £1 that men earned (comparing median hourly pay) Women’s mean (average) hourly pay was 6.6% lower than men’s.

Pay quartiles show how men and women are distributed across four equal-sized groups of jobs, ranked from the lowest paid to the highest paid. This EEAST understand whether one gender is more likely to be concentrated in lower or higher paid roles within the organisation.

At EEAST, women made up:

• 46.3% of employees in the upper hourly pay quarter (highest paid jobs),
• 53.0% of employees in the upper middle hourly pay quarter,
• 57.7% of employees in the lower middle hourly pay quarter,
• 58.3% of employees in the lower hourly pay quarter (lowest paid jobs)

Highest paid jobs

In the upper hourly pay quarter (highest paid jobs):

• 46.3% women
• 53.7% men

In the upper middle hourly pay quarter:

• 53.0% women
• 47% men

In the lower middle hourly pay quarter:

• 57.7% women
• 42.3% men

In the lower hourly pay quarter (lowest paid jobs):

• 58.3% women
• 41.7% men.

• Embed equality, diversity and inclusion into all strategic decision making, aligned with EEAST’s new organisational strategy and delivered through the EEAST Inclusivity Plan.
• Strengthen workforce planning, recruitment, progression and talent development to support inclusive career pathways
• Increase transparency and consistency across pay, reward, promotion, secondments and acting up opportunities, ensuring fair access for all.
• Support retention and progression through flexible working, family friendly policies and wellbeing initiatives, reflecting national NHS and regional priorities.
• Monitor gender pay gap data alongside wider workforce metrics to inform evidence based action and continuous improvement.
• Embed equality, diversity and inclusion into all strategic decision making, aligned with EEAST’s new organisational strategy and delivered through the EEAST Inclusivity Plan.