14th August 2015 by NASGP
An appeal has begun to raise £100k for family of GP locum Helen Sanderson who died on Christmas eve 2014. Because Helen’s membership of the NHS pension scheme was only via her locum income, since she died outside of a period of locum cover at a practice, despite having worked booked at other practices, her family were unable to benefit from the same death-in-service benefits afforded to all other members of the NHS pension scheme.
"I fell into a salaried role post-CCT, so faced with an unexpected relocation to a completely new area of the country the thought of GP locuming was incredibly daunting.
The assistance I have received from NASGP has been invaluable. I have received excellent and patient admin support when setting up my LocumDeck account. I have enjoyed the monthly chambers meetings I have attended: this made locuming feel far less isolating.
I have easily found plentiful work and am grateful for the invoicing and pension forms being taken care of – this gives me time to focus on the clinical work or make the most of precious days off.
With the support of NASGP Locum Chambers I have filled my diary working in a variety of practices in my new area, and have now joined one practice I enjoyed locuming at on a salaried basis while I continue to do some locum work on top using LocumDeck."
Dr Joanne Wright, GP, Essex