GP locum bookings have doubled from September 2021 to September 2022, according to the National Association of Sessional GPs (NASGP).
The NASGP’s statistics from its locum booking platform, LocumDeck, showed that bookings in May 2022 were the highest they have ever been since the platform launched in 2016.
Although the actual figures are commercially sensitive, the NASGP said it is at its highest ever membership and subscription totals, with membership increasing 79% over the last 12 months.
The latest data released by NHS Digital showed a decrease in the headcount of GP regular locums, dropping by 542 from 2,238 in July 2021 to 1,696 in July 2022.
But NASGP chair Dr Richard Fieldhouse pointed out that the data is for England only, and includes the caveat: ‘All GP figures exclude ad-hoc locums’.
He explained he would expect ad-hoc locums to be ‘the great majority of locums’.
He said: ‘In fact, is there even such a thing as a regular locum? Surely, that’s an oxymoron – locums are nearly always classed as temporary. A “regular” locum for all sorts of practical, legal, tax, pension reasons should be called “salaried”.’
Dr Fieldhouse told Pulse the doubling of bookings is due to ‘a whole combination of factors’, including ‘more practices needing locums because of increased patient post-Covid demand’, as well as more locums and practices joining the booking platform.
NASGP has partnered with NHS organisations in Gloucestershire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Frimley area, and Hertfordshire and Essex.
All Gloucestershire practices have signed up to book locums through the LocumDeck platform, and over 40% of all practices in the UK belong to NASGP/LocumDeck.
Previously, Pulse revealed locum bookings almost quadrupled from November 2020 to November 2021.
Pulse also revealed that locum GPs were being offered shifts with day rates of ‘in excess of’ £1,000 at ‘desperate’ practices.
And earlier this year, salaried and locum GP representatives applied to form a separate sessional GP negotiating committee to represent salaried and locum GPs alongside BMA England’s GP Committee.
READERS' COMMENTS [1]
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no surprises here !!
come to locumland, and get your life back !
downside: work can be unpredictable, and occasionally nobody wants you (remedy – lots of gardening/car maintenance time), you may get treated as “just the locum” and dumped on (remedy – don’t go back there), more fastidious record keeping (should be doing that anyway), appraisals more onerous (pain in the arse anyway) etc etc
upside: choose where you work, choose when you work, holidays, days off etc when you want, no silly admin, no “ganfyd” rubbish unless you want, no late evenings, no silly edicts or diktats from that silly girl or her cronies, set your own fees, get paid accurately and on time, no money withheld for “post payment verification” or similar, no “clawback” if you work hard and earn too much, no dealings at all with PCT, LHB, ICB or whatever their silly latest sexy title is, no silly admin, no silly meetings, no premises worries, no staff worries, no “last man standing” worries, no pension worries etc etc etc. just go to work, see patients, go home, get paid (accurately, and on time).
i took early retirement in 2007 from my single handed, rural, welsh, high earning, dispensing practice, and have been locumming ever since, and i promise you it’s great !!
some days are obviously harder than others, but overall i enjoy the job. if i no longer enjoy it, i’ll pack it in.
i am 72.