Locum Doctors are an important asset to hospitals and
general practice, filling in the gaps left by holiday absence and
sickness. However, if you are new to
hiring a locum GP and want to ensure you get the best care and attention for
your patients, here’s a list of things to avoid:
- Don’t hire a GP who isn’t listed on the GMC’s GP Register. Locum GPs are fully qualified GPs and must therefore have the same training and qualifications as the medical providers they provide services for.
- Don’t consider hiring a locum who isn’t on a PCO’s Performers List. This is crucial as Primary Care Organisations (PCOs) undertake a series of checks, in addition to registration checks, before admitting a doctor to their performer’s lists.
- Don’t hire a locum and then place them in a poorly stocked room, with inadequate introduction. The risks of hiring a locum increase with the level of unfamiliarity, so ensure you make your new recruit feel welcome.
- Don’t expect that your new locums will understand your computer systems. These vary from practice to practice so allow some introduction time to explain the systems and ensure someone is on hand to offer advice should they need it, as being unfamiliar with a system could cause a patient backlog.
- Don’t hire a locum without providing them with a written contract for their services – this protects both parties as it ensures they know what is expected from them and should form the foundation for a good working relationship.
- Don’t request a locum without first defining the sessions you require cover for. Specify from the onset the number of sessions required per week, start and finishing times, any on-call duties that are required and the number and length of appointments the locum is expected to get through during each session.
- Don’t hire a locum GP who does not have medical indemnity.
- Don’t be ‘set in stone’ when it comes to advertising your vacancies. Offering more flexibility may make the position more attractive.
- Don’t confirm locum appointments verbally – always make sure you also have a written record – i.e. in an email – of the acceptance and confirmed dates and times.
- Don’t delay making payments or signing pension forms – this could result in dissatisfaction amongst GPs and may mean you struggle to fill future vacancies.
If you are looking to hire a Locum GP why not speak to our friendly team today as we can guide you through the recruitment process.
