By Neil Trainis

A locum agency has today said its research shows about 40 per cent of locums in the UK earn over £40 an hour and eight per cent are paid more than £50.

Locate a Locum said it analysed 160,000 shifts on its platform between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023 and, comparing the rates with those recorded during the previous financial year, found average rates across the country increased by almost a fifth to nearly £39 an hour.

The agency said that reflected “continued rising demand for flexible, trained professionals among thousands of community pharmacies.” It also said that although “wide regional variations persist,” average rates in Wales have risen by almost 50 per cent to £42.91 an hour compared with £28.11 an hour in Northern Ireland. Locate a Locum said the highest average rate in the UK was in Scotland with £46.03 an hour.

The agency stressed it does not set rates but its platform “assists in recording the rate agreed directly between the pharmacy and the locum at the time which reflects the prevailing market conditions and immediate market demand.”

Its CEO Jonathon Clarke said regional variations highlighted “market complexities, local challenges and widespread NHS pressures” and those pressures were “increasing the reliance on locums to deliver services and ensure that pharmacies remain operational.”

 “Community pharmacies continue to experience an unsettled period, with increased prescribing pressures as they continue to support the NHS services which is against a backdrop of reduced funding, drug shortages and store closures,” he said.