Exclusive: Locums under pressure

“Locums are a vital part of pharmacy to ensure branches can remain open and provide vital services to communities and patients across the country,” said
Jonathon Clarke, CEO and founder of Locate a Locum.

In an exclusive email interaction with Pharmacy Business, Jonathon noted that while the demand for locums remains high, there has been a dip from the post-COVID
peak, which is also reflected in their rates.

Due to the shortage of registered pharmacists, employers are actively seeking locums to cover gaps in their rotas.

“Legally, there needs to be a registered pharmacist on site or else a pharmacy is unable to open resulting in an NHS fine,” he highlighted.

Whether employed or working as self-employed locums, pharmacists face many issues on a day-to-day basis, such as insufficient staffing or commercial pressure to
hit “targets”. However, locums also face several unique issues on top of these.

According to Jonathon, a significant challenge locums face due to the changing market environment in the UK is the “rising workload” associated with offering
advanced services such as Pharmacy First.