Can the £150m Covid-19 fund be used for Locum GPs? 

Overworked GP surgeries have always needed locums, but never so much as now, with the second wave of the virus and a potential vaccination programme against Covid-19 on the horizon. Latest reports state that the vaccination programme could start as soon as December 7th, 2020, subject to regulatory approval and an efficient roll out. 

The BMA confirms that a Covid-19 fund of £150m has been allocated to GP practices. A proportion of this can be spent on locum GPs, providing the surgery with extra patient capacity and more employment opportunities for locums. It will further aid their ambition of completing the vaccination of 44m people within a 5-month period, the highest ever number and most expedient programme ever known in the UK. Without Locum GPs to cover the gaps in surgeries, this will be a tall order. 

Is the whole £150m just for locum GPs? 

The government expect that some surgeries will use a part of their budget for locum staff, to assist in the smooth running during the vaccination period, and to cope with the demand for permanent staff to work longer hours and weekends. However, the demand for locum GPs is expected to be high. Without qualified staff, the vaccination programme will be far too ambitious to fulfill in such a short period of time. 

Covid-19 vaccinations are expected to take place in the centralised locations in any given area, yet to be determined. This will mean that GP surgeries will have to recruit more locum GPs if they are going to assist at other surgeries and to handle normal day to day patient load. GPs are more than aware of the necessity of additional locums during the second wave and the imminent vaccination programme, as they contribute greatly to the efficient operation of their surgeries. 

Challenges faced by GP Locums 

GP locums can expect to be in high demand through until late spring, and potentially even longer. In a survey conducted by AppLocum during the first wave of the virus and completed by GP locums, the participants reported a number of challenges. 

As a brief synopsis, the main concerns and challenges were:

-Lack of placements, or cancelled shifts

-Financial implications

-Potential health challenges (including mental health and possibility of contracting the virus)

-Lack of adequate PPE  

With a greater supply of PPE available and demand for healthcare staff to administer the Covid-19 vaccine, some of these problems are being eased.  

BMA asks for ‘no bureaucracy’ 

Whilst initial communications were positive on the funds applied, GP surgeries feared that they would be ‘herded or coerced’ into using the funds for the placement of salaried GPs into their practices. Dr Richard Vautrey, BMA GP committee chair has confirmed that ‘the whole intent of the £150m is to provide support direct to practices with minimum bureaucracy in a high-trust manner to support them through the tough winter ahead’. 

Though it has since been confirmed that the funds can be used to employ locums, the initial lack of clarification caused many GPs to voice concerns about ‘red tape’, lengthy delays in finding staff and unnecessary paperwork. 

Let AppLocum help to ease your concerns 

As an experienced healthcare locum agency, we have spent a great deal of time building a team of locums and have streamlined our technology to make life easier for both surgeries and applicants. Paperwork has been cut down to a minimum, making it a priority to fill vacancies with the right candidates as quickly as possible. With increased capacity to match healthcare professionals and efficient service during the Covid-19 vaccination programme, now is the time to experience AppLocum. 

It really cannot be simpler to register on our platform and find a position in the shortest possible time. Register with us and you could find your next locum job in minutes. 

For GP practices, our primary care team is staffed by our dedicated in-house compliance experts, to help you fill your surgery vacancies for locum GPs or other help you may need. Find out more and begin filling your vacancies here. Once you start working with us, you can keep employing your preferred locums. Minimum effort, minimum paperwork – let AppLocum take the stress away. 

Locum GPs should remember their worth – both to surgeries and to the public – you are a valuable asset. 

If you’re in need of work, see our latest vacancies here.