Locums are becoming a vital part of increasingly pressurised general practices, yet the NHS benefits they’re entitled to are not always as fair as they could potentially be. While locums can contribute to the NHS pension scheme, one critical benefit is not always available: death in service.
- What is a GP locum worth to the NHS?
- NASGP’s legal advice regarding NHS Pension Death in Service benefits
- Death-in-service benefits from the NHS: Are you returning to work due to COVID-19?
If we were all clairvoyants with a crystal ball, we would know exactly when we were going to die and plan accordingly. Suffice to say we’re not and that’s where the difficulty arises; particularly for locums whose contract status on death makes a big difference to the NHS benefits their loved ones receive.
If you’re a locum ‘in service’ when you die
As a GP locum, if you die when in contract i.e. you either have a long-term locum post or a short Monday to Friday locum contract, you are entitled to the following standard NHS pension scheme benefits:
- An initial 6 months pension for your spouse, registered civil partner or nominated qualifying partner, equal to your pensionable pay before death.
- Followed by an ongoing pension based on your uprated ill-health retirement pension (Tier 2).
- Twice your total average uprated (dynamised) earnings paid as a lump sum.