Doctor Jobs
Locum agencies in the UK are about to benefit from the NHS rise in spending on hiring temporary doctors. Permanent doctors within NHS hospitals are realising the benefits of working through medical locum doctor agencies. NHS hospital jobs that are newly available to UK locum doctors to cover staffing gaps in NHS hospitals have risen sharply in the past year.
The cost of hiring doctors for medical locum jobs was about £29m during 2008/9 but this increased to about £36m last year. Changes to immigration rules have also reduced the number of available locum doctor jobs that are being applied for directly to the NHS, and are making locum agencies look more attractive to doctors who are abroad and looking for UK doctor jobs.
The cost of locum employment from external medical locum agencies is higher than the rate paid for direct NHS locum doctors, therefore encouraging more and more NHS doctors to switch over to a locum position. This greatly generates the amount of locum doctor jobs available for those who apply through private locum agencies, and benefits the medical agencies in the long run.
The next year will bring challenges to the public sector. Recent press reports have suggested that NHS Trusts may need to consider cutting permanent doctor posts to generate savings, therefore benefitting private medical agencies and doctors looking for locum doctor jobs.
The other benefits of NHS permanent doctors returning to locum agencies could mean that these UK locum doctors remain within the workplace and have the flexibility that working as a locum can offer. It gives a variety of places to work and some choice as to who you work for, including NHS hospital jobs. Medical Recruitment Agencies can be helpful in finding work for locum doctors as well as providing locum employment for doctors overseas. NHS permanent doctors are currently researching into locum agencies as they save you the time and trouble of researching locum jobs for doctors. They can also provide you with advice and reduce some of the inevitable paperwork ensued with applying to the NHS directly.