Seven in 10 GP locums have difficulty finding work, a new survey by the NASGP has found.
Of the four in five GP locums who face challenges at work, 69% said ‘difficulty finding work’ was their main challenge. A further 18% said their main challenge was financial insecurity.
Reasons for difficulty finding work included:
- Practices not using locums.
- Practices can’t afford locums.
- ARRS being used instead.
- Too many GPs locums to compete with.
- Not being known to the practice.
Some 39% of GP locums feel ‘not secure at all’ in their locum work, and just 2% feel ‘very secure’.
The survey of 338 GPs also found that:
- Of those using LocumDeck, when asked to choose the main reason for choosing the platform , 27% said control over rates and invoicing, 21% said it was a recommendation from a colleague, and 13% said Instant Book.
- Six in 10 GPs with local LocumDeck funding had a positive impact on locum work opportunities.
- More than one in 10 respondents belong to a GP locum chambers.
Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chair, said: “It’s clear from these results that the great majority of GP locums across the UK are struggling to get work, with a myriad of potential causes for this being cited. Some of these reasons being practical, but also related to systemic underfunding in general practice and the introduction of ARRS roles.
“It’s also clear that in the areas where locums have adopted LocumDeck at scale, in these cases brought about by central ICB funding, the majority of locums report a positive impact on their livelihoods.
“As an organisation we’re eager to build on the positive impact that at-scale usage of LocumDeck is having, so we are calling out now to members to identify towns or cities where LocumDeck adoption is still low, and offer those members fully-funded LocumDeck to replicate its success elsewhere.”