When surgeries and medical practices start to require extra staff, they sometimes turn to the work of the Locum. This applies to the work of the General Practioner, the general and specialist hospital, the pharmacy, nursing units and medical researchers. The demand for the Locum to come in and take up the strain has never been more acutely felt than in the recent global pandemic of the COVID19 coronavirus.

There has been a growing call for Doctors, namely General Practitioners, to see patients on a face-to-face basis. During the pandemic, the ability to directly visit a Doctor receded as Surgerys asked for the patients not to come in to limit the spread of infection. This also included those that were wishing to seek medical help for a non-corona virus-related medical issue. GP’s have initiated online services, and they are keen for this to continue in the foreseeable future. They argue that the need to see a Doctor on a one to one basis is not always required, and they can manage their time better. They also point to the public using the NHS 111 service or a pharmacist.

The Government has stated that they will honour the promise that an in-person session with a GP should occur whenever requested. The problem is there is not the capacity of numbers of GP’s to deal with this situation. Therefore, Locums will need to be used in the short term, which may also be long-term.  This means that medical operations will need to look at Locum Insurance seriously. This will cover any malpractice claims. MPRS locum insurance is an excellent choice.