FAQs for LD4N bank nurses

It’s easy to synchronise your LocumDeck calendar to your devices.

How to add LocumDeck calendar to Google Calendar (all devices)

• Go to your LocumDeck Calendar on a PC/Mac and click on the download icon (next to ‘KEY’) at the top right of the calendar.
  • A URL will appear that looks like ‘webcal://www.nasgp.org.uk/espip/calendar/o3DqSFeJ2HvhOT…’
• In Chrome, signed in, your Google calendar should open up and ask you to add direct to your Calendar.
• Click ‘Add’.

If you’re not in Chrome, or this doesn’t happen, copy the URL that appears and, in your Google calendar, go to Settings > Add calendar > From URL and just follow the instructions.

TIP: Assuming you’ve already set up your Google account on all your devices, make sure that you’ve set your new LocumDeck calendar to display on all your devices.

How to add your LocumDeck calendar to one device

• Login to your LocumDeck on your chosen device.
• Go to your LocumDeck Calendar.
• Click on the download icon (next to ‘KEY’) at the top right of calendar
• You will be asked if you want to ‘subscribe to the calendar’. Agree.

Your subscribed calendar will be named ‘NASGP – Your name’.

TIP: If you also want your LocumDeck calendar to show on another device e.g. your tablet or smartphone, you’ll need to log in from that device and repeat the same procedure.

How to remove your LocumDeck calendar

• Open up whatever app or calendar it is you’re viewing your synchronised information on (for example Outlook, Apple Calendar, Google Calendar) and remove the subscribed calendar.
• Alternatively, go to the devices system Settings > Calendar/Accounts on your devices.

Troubleshooting advice

Such is the variability between devices (smartphones, tablets, PCs, Macs), operating systems (Windows, iOS, Android, Apple OS) and calendar apps (Outlook, Google Calendar, Timepage) that a definitive guide to troubleshooting would probably stretch from here to the moon!

But our experience is that and synching issues with your device’s calendar can be sorted by deleting the ‘Shared Calendar’ account from your device, rebooting your device, making a cup of tea, and re-adding again from LocumDeck

e.g. for iPhone:

• Settings >> Calendar >> Accounts >> Subscribed Calendars >> Name of Calendar >> Delete Account

For PC/Mac:

• Calendar app >> Accounts >> Subscribed Calendars >> Name of Calendar >> Delete Account (or similar variant there of)

Please remember that you need to set up the calendar on each device and check on your device that your LocumDeck calendar is selected to be shown.

How to ensure your device’s calendar gets updated regularly

Behind the scenes, your smartphone, tablet or PC has subscribed to a unique webcal link that enables your device to access your LocumDeck calendar from the cloud. As with any subscribed calendar service, the frequency with which your device is able to do this depends on a few factors e.g. the quality of your wifi/internet or data connection, how powered up your device is, and how often your device is set to fetch your calendar data. 

Please check your device’s settings to ensure that it is set to fetch data at a suitable interval.

Read more advice on syncing with iPhones, PC calendars and Outlook.

The practice will immediately receive notifications from you and any other GP locums, as and when you respond. Sometimes the practice may need several GP locums for the same time slot, and every GP gets notified instantly when practices book them.

If the practice doesn’t book you, the session will be automatically be made available to your other chosen practices.

Tip: Availability requests (AVRs) are useful, but they’re not the best way to find work on LocumDeck. The practice will only need to use AVRs if locums haven’t already made themselves available. To stand the best chance of getting the session you want, at the rates and terms you choose, we always highly recommend you beat the practice to it and add your availability first, before practices need to post an AVR.

If a practice on LocumDeck needs cover but no locums have yet proactively made themselves available for Instant Book on the dates they need, the practice can put out an availability request, which goes to locums within a 45 minute travel radius.

You receive an email notification of which practice is looking for cover and you can find more details by logging in to LocumDeck and clicking through to the availability request shown in orange on your LocumDeck calendar.

The practice can specify basic details such as date, start and end times of the cover. They can also add more detailed information about their requirements e.g. they are nudged to specify the type of appointments (triaged, on call, walk in, f2f, telephone etc), typical number of contacts expected, whether admin duties are required and which other members of the healthcare team will be present or whether you’ll be working as a lone clinician.

What does the practice see when I respond to an availability request?

Practices are notified by email that bookable availability has been added for their practice. When they login to LocumDeck they can review the bookable work you are offering, alongside any Credentials and T&Cs you have added, and are able to make an Instant Booking.

Are availability requests made personally to me by a practice?

Not at the moment. Currently, availability requests are sent to all locums on our membership database within range of the practice who wish to receive them. If there is interest from practices and our locum members in allowing practices to be more specific and personal in their requests, we are all ears to feedback.

No, you won’t hear back directly. But you still have control to offer the practice exclusive bookable availability for a limited period.

GPs can respond to an availability request (AVR) on LocumDeck by offering Instant Book availability. As part of the latest platform update, and in response to GP locum members’ requests, developers on LocumDeck have created a new ‘enhanced’ AVR response.

When you respond to an AVR you can now choose to delete your availability offer, or open your calendars to your other Instant Book practices. Your Instant Book availability will be exclusively offered to the requesting practice for three days. Then, LocumDeck will automatically make the change you chose.

Tip: Availability requests (AVRs) are useful, but they’re not the best way to find work on LocumDeck. The practice will only need to use AVRs if GP locums haven’t already made themselves available. To stand the best chance of getting the session you want, at the rates and terms you choose, we always highly recommend you beat the practice to it and add your availability first, before practices need to post an AVR.

Respond by going to the Availability request shown in orange on your calendar.

• Click to open the request pop-up and see more information about the practice and whatever information they’ve given you about their cover requirement.
• Click the pale green ellipsis icon in the top right hand corner to see Respond or Decline options

• Decline removes the request from your calendar. The practice is not informed when you decline.
• Respond takes you through some steps to offer an instant bookable session to the practice
• Once you send your offer to the practice, they are notified by email and can login to look at your profile, including your terms and conditions, the session you’re offering and your fee.
• If they book you, you get an SMS text notification, a confirmation email and you’ll be able to see full details of the booking in your calendar.

The simplest way to check that a practice on LocumDeck has received my response to its availability request is to wait for a booking.

Practices will make an online booking based on the work you have offered them. If a practice Instant Books you, you are notified by text message and email confirmation, and you can login to see full details in LocumDeck.