How Locum GPs Can Help the New Government to Achieve the ‘Seven Day NHS’

Spearheaded by health secretary Jeremy Hunt, the new Conservative government plan to achieve a seven-day GP service, with patients throughout England to be provided with free GP access from 8am to 8pm. On top of providing a true seven day NHS, the Conservatives also plan to take steps to tackle the burnout that is increasingly common in the GP profession.

A popular move?

Whilst plans for a seven day GP service are understandably popular with the majority of people, the British Medical Association are less convinced that the government will be able to achieve their plans of increasing NHS funding in England by a minimum of £8bn a year, and recruit 5,000 GPs. However, the BMA question just how the new government will be able to translate their plans into reality and deliver a seven day NHS and increase funding when the NHS currently faces a funding gap of £30bn and a severe shortage of GPs.

Unrealistic aims

Representatives from the Royal College of General Practitioners also share a similar opinion to that of the BMA, finding it difficult to envisage how the government will achieve their aims without a huge investment in general practice and considerable changes to GP contracts and boost to the GP workforce. Whilst pledges of a seven day NHS are generally popular, across general practice, the new plans are seen as unrealistic. The real big question is where additional GP recruits will come from, with GP shortages continuing as increasing numbers of GPs decide to take early retirement, or instead decide to work as a locum.

Are locums the answer?

Whilst finding the GP workforce to provide 8am-8pm care seven days a week will no doubt be a challenge, the answer to filling the shortages in GPs could be to look to locum agencies. With the need for skilled and experienced GPs more important than ever before, locum GPs can fill thegaps in general practice to provide free healthcare whenever and wherever patients need it. By working with locum healthcare agencies, GP practices can be confident that all candidates are suitable for the job in the hand, with all locum doctors thoroughly vetted.

With GP contracts putting general practitioners under pressure and many feeling that they are unable to provide the level of care that patients deserve, it is unsurprising that the numbers of locum GPs continue to rise. With many locum GPs gaining valuable experience working in general practice before deciding to work on a locum basis, locum healthcare could indeed be the answer to providing a seven day service for GP practices throughout the country.

If you are a GP practice looking for highly skilled and experienced doctors to fill temporary positions, or if you are locum GP looking for work within the general practice sector, you can call Locum Select on 0121 308 5125.

A 10-point checklist of what you will need when applying for a Locum GP position

Being a medical professional you hold the responsibility of taking good care of your patients, through being able to provide them with medical advice, to caring for their health and general wellbeing. As a Locum GP your position is important to provide the relevant care to all your patients, and ensure that they are well looked after when in your temporary care.  

If you are applying for a position as a Locum GP, it is advisable to have all the right qualifications in place, and ensure that you have the appropriate documents to support your application; which will reassure your employers that you have the right knowledge and qualifications to give your patients the best care safely and legally.

Here is a basic checklist of things you will need to ensure you have in place when applying for a Locum GP job:

• Certificate Proof of entry on the General Practitioners Medical Register with Licence to practice 
• CCT certificate from GMC 
• Medical Indemnity Insurance Certificate 
• Evidence of inclusion on the GP Performers list 
• CRB Enhanced Disclosure certificate 
• Basic Life Support (BLS) or Advanced Life support (ALS) certificate 
• Safeguarding vulnerable adults certificate 
• Safeguarding child protection certificate
•  Photographic I.D. (i.e. passport & evidence of current address e.g. utility bill or driving licence with address

Ensuring that you meet this checklist criteria will give you a better chance of being well organised when you apply for a locum GP position.  It will also show your employer that you have the relevant checks in place and experience to work as a locum GP.  

Having the right qualifications and certificates in place will reduce the amount of time it takes for you to potentially become employed, so it is important to have the relevant identification documents and all qualifications in place ready to hand over to your locum agency.  Locum Select carry out thorough checks on all locum GPs, to give clients peace of mind and to ensure all future patients will be in safe hands. To find out more about registering with a reputable locum agency, please visit the Locum Select website.  

Cold Weather Causes Increased Patient Demand Across England

The recent cold snap has caused a large increase in patient demand within GP surgeries and other health services.  Public Health England has even advised GPs to prioritise patients who may be particularly vulnerable to the cold, in order to prevent weather related health conditions from escalating.  Patients at risk include the elderly and infirm, infants and asthma patients.

Severe Asthma Patient Numbers Double

Figures from Public Health England have revealed that the rates of lower respiratory tract infection are at an all-time high; and the number of patients experiencing severe asthma has doubled since this time last year.  These cold weather related issues are putting a strain on a number of GP surgeries, as more and more patients are seeking prompt medical advice.  One way of dealing with the increased demand from patients during the cold spell is to hire the services of locum GPs; who can be booked at relatively short notice in order to ease the pressure from permanent GPs. 

Catch it. Kill it. Bin it

But what other methods can be used to try to combat health issues which are related to cold weather?  It has also been revealed that confirmed cases of flu are at their highest levels in three years - which understandably not only puts added pressure on GP surgeries, but also A&E departments.  Public health officials have created a campaign which informs the public to ‘Catch it.  Bin it.  Kill it,’ as a method of reminding the general public to dispose of tissues once they have been used, and to wash their hands thoroughly to help to kill the flu virus.  The campaign message is simple yet effective and aims to reduce the flu virus spreading during the winter months.

Booking Locum GPs

Whilst most Practice Managers will be aware that winter will understandably lead to a greater demand in patients needing to see their GP, as the weather is particularly cold this year they may find that their usual strategy is not coping with the sudden increased demand.  Booking one or more locum GPs can certainly help to provide a more efficient service to patients, and will also help to ease the strain on the permanent GPs.

To find out more about booking a locum GP or perhaps registering as a locum GP, feel free to visit the Locum Select website http://www.locumselect.com/locum-gp.php in order to find out more.

GP Workforce Crisis is Great News for the Locum GP

If you work in the healthcare industry then you will be only too aware of the difficulties arising from the recent NHS reforms.  As a knock-on effect of this, a wave of early retirements and increased pressure on the general practice workforce has led to vacancies at GP surgeries across the country.  

This rise in vacancies has unsurprisingly led to a surge in demand for locum GPs.  In a recent survey by Medeconomics.co.uk, 53% of the locums questioned said demand for their services had increased, despite the fact that over 60% of them said they were aware that practices in their area were trying to reduce costs.

Whilst some practices may view the custom of hiring a locum GP to be an additional squeeze on budgets, at a time when things are already stretched, the more forward-thinking surgeries are realising that this is the best way forward.  Hiring locums enables the GP practice to deliver a constantly high level of care and service to patients and can help to fill those temporary gaps caused by holidays, sick leave or recent departures.

GP practices may be desperate to balance the books and make their resources stretch as far as possible but it seems many will have little choice but to turn to the services of a Locum GP.  Yes, practices have had their budgets cut but they will continue to put the patient first, even if this does mean incurring higher costs in the short term.  After all, hiring locums is a great way to ease pressure on the workload of other practice GPs whilst actively recruiting for permanent GPs to join the workforce in place of those who have retired or departed.

Despite the cost element, there are many reasons why practices will benefit from hiring locums, these may include:

• Quick and short term solution when there is no time to recruit for permanent positions
• The locum agency will work with the client to find the most suitable candidate for vacancy
• All applicants are screened by the agency which delivers peace of mind to practice managers
• Locum GPs can offer a fresh and sometimes more thorough approach to patients as they have had no prior contact with them and will therefore need to get more background information on their condition.

The versatility of the locum doctor makes them an ideal candidate to fill temporary roles within general practice.  If you would like to find out more about the advantages of hiring a locum GP please visit the Locum Select website.

Current GPs Are Facing Burnout – Could Working As A Locum Be The Answer?

A recent article published on the GP Online website (http://www.gponline.com/) has stated that trainee GPs ought to be given resilience training in order to prevent them from reaching burnout during their career.  GPs face all sorts of pressure during their working life, whether they are a newly qualified GP or whether they have been in the role for a number of years.  Getting the work-life balance just right is a tricky task and one which very few GPs get right, but could working as a locum GP be the answer?

Providing resilience training for GPs was a main topic of discussion at 2014’s annual RCGP conference which was held in Liverpool.  It was felt that whilst trainee GPs are given adequate training from a clinical point of view, little support or guidance was offered in relation to how they ought to manage their role from a personal point of view.  Being able to sustain the amount of time trainees can spend in real life working situations, such as during half day release, is very important as this time can provide trainees with a clear idea of the pressures they will be facing on a daily basis.  They need to learn and develop tools during their training on how to handle heavy workloads and difficult situations which they can rely upon once they are qualified.

Many GPs are turning to locum GP agencies as an alternative to working in a full time, permanent role.  In fact, around 15,500 GPs in the UK are now working as a locum GP, and for good reason too:

• Locum GPs can have greater flexibility in terms of choosing their working hours.  They may only wish to sign up to work a handful of sessions per week, or they could choose a greater number of hours if they so wished.
• Working as a locum can give more variety, instead of working at the same practice every day, locum GPs can work in an assortment of healthcare settings.  This can benefit newly qualified doctors as they may not be sure about which area of practice they wish to follow, or it can help to keep an experienced GP on their toes by having the opportunity to deal with different kinds of patients.
• Working as a locum GP can be financially rewarding for the GP, as they can charge a higher hourly rate than they would receive as a permanent GP.

Of course, working as a Locum GP also means that the individual does not have the usual stresses and strains which are commonly felt by employed GPs.  It can give them the flexibility to take time off as and when they need it, meaning they will be more productive during their working hours.

To find out more about working as a locum GP or to get intouch with a locum GP agency, feel free to take a look at the Locum Select website. 

Are GPs At Breaking Point? How New Reforms Are Affecting GP Practices

Due to financial cutbacks, considerable numbers of patients could be without a family doctor within the next few years, as many surgeries are faced with possible closure. It has become commonplace in some GP practices for patients to regularly have to wait for up to two weeks just to see a GP for a routine consultation.

Due to further cutbacks that were put into action in April, the British Medical Association warns that up to 100 GP practices could face closure in as little as a few years. Many practices are no longer able to provide the level of care that patients need, with some GPs seeing around 60 patients a day. When considering the calls that GPs must make and take, the paper work that they must complete as well as home visits to patients that are not capable of making their way to the surgery, this leaves GPs no longer than 10 minutes to spend with each patient.

Some GPs have faced such pressure from government cutbacks that they have been forced to make their boundaries smaller, leaving patients from outside these boundaries to find a new GP. However, for some patients, it is not a simple task to find another local practice that can take on new patients, as a neighbouring practice may be in a similar situation where their books are too full for them to be able to take on new patients.

For some people living in rural communities, their local GP surgery closing or shrinking its boundaries could leave them having to travel quite a distance to visit a doctor, and for some patients, this may not be possible.

With a growing population, and people generally living longer, patient demand is increasing and a lot of GPs are feeling considerable strain as their patient load and work load continues to increase. This has led to larger numbers of GPs deciding to retire early, or ever increasingly, working as locum doctors, whilst some young doctors decide against general practice altogether, preferring to work in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Locum GPs can benefit from flexibility in their schedules, as they can choose work placements that last anywhere between just a few days or a number of months. One of the key advantages that locum GPs can have is that they are able to take longer leaves of absence, allowing them to relax for longer periods of time, unlike fulltime GPs who cannot take long periods of annual leave at a time, and therefore, often can’t find enough time to fully unwind.

With pressure building on General Practices, it is likely that GPs will need to take leaves of absence to cope with the strains of their job. In this case, practices would be required to hire a locum GP in their place whilst they are away.

To find out more about locum healthcare, you can visit the Locum Select website.  

Success For Locum Select At Career Pathways Event

Career Pathways - organised by the publisher of Pulse and Nursing in Practice - is the UK's only recruitment event dedicated to GPs and Nurses working in Primary Care.  The most recent Career Pathways event took place on the 19th March 2014 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel and Locum Select were proud to be one of the exhibitors.

Now more than ever, it is important for GPs and nurses to be aware of their options within a changing NHS landscape. By bringing together experts from within the NHS and healthcare organisations, the conference sessions gave details of the many options open to GPs and nurses across the UK as well as internationally.   The experts were also on hand to cover case studies of specific career pathways which may have inspired budding locums.

The 2014 conference programme kicked off with a keynote address from Elizabeth Eddy, Head of Skills and Employability at NHS England. Elizabeth was joined by other notable speakers, including Dr James Kingsland OBE, president of the National Association for Primary Care, Sam Sherrington, Head of Nursing and Midwifery Strategy at NHS England and George Coxon, notable Independent Health Care Advisor.

Locum Select had a great day, not only were they able to speak to and recruit a number of GPs and Nurses, several GPs who are already registered with Locum Select came over for chat.  They also had enquiries from newly qualified GPs who are looking for locum work as well as a number of partner GPs looking to leave a practice and just locum, allowing them to focus just on patient care.

It was an enjoyable and successful day and the Locum Select team really enjoyed coming face to face with so many GPs and Nurses.

Further information on our locum agency services for both candidates and clients can be found on the Locum Select website.

Locum Select To Exhibit At Career Pathways Event

Birmingham Locum GP agency, Locum Select will be exhibiting at the Career Pathways event in March 2014.  The event which is billed as the fast-track to career development for primary care professionals will be held at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel on 19^th March.

In a changing NHS landscape it is more important than ever for nurses and doctors to be aware of their options and this event aims to provide information on the alternative career options available to primary care professionals as well as encouraging them to explore the many different career routes available.  With keynote speakers and notable independent health care advisors participating in the event, no doubt organisers are hoping to meet or exceed the 1000 healthcare professionals who came along to last year’s event. 

The Locum Select team are looking forward to exhibiting at the Career Pathways event, which will also feature conference sessions to enable delegates to find out more about their options both here in the UK and internationally.

Locum Select will be located at stand 51 for the duration of the event and will be able to answer visitors questions about the opportunities available for locum doctors and nurses in the region.  As we work with a wide variety of healthcare organisations such as General Practice, hospitals, prisons and walk in centres, we can offer locum GPs and nurses a variety of temporary and longer term positions in their preferred sector.

With many years’ experience in the healthcare industry, we are best placed to find out the needs of our registered locums and match these with the requirements of our healthcare clients.  There is more information about our agency and the clients we work with on our website www.locumselect.com