FEATURE
ge “Locums are a fresh
pair of eyes, not only
Chris Geor for the patient but for
the practice”
are a significant event waiting
to happen. Most practice
managers and partners will be
glad to have problems brought
clearly, but diplomatically, to
their attention, and will let the
locum know what they have
changed as a result.
ThE locUm And
ThE pRAcTicE
Partners work in the same
place, using the same systems,
every day. Locums walk into
an unfamiliar building to meet
a team of strangers with their
own way of doing things,
knowing that every patient
will be a “new” patient. This
requires not only the standard
clinical skills, but a special
degree of flexibility and an
ability to judge and manage
risk. Locums can only be as
good as their skills and abilities
but, unfortunately, all too often
they are not given a chance to
practise at their best.
Practices owe it to their locums,
and their patients, not to put
locums in a position of enforced
underperformance, and locums
Off road - When Judith was locuming she was never without her trusty rawhide doctor’s bag can help themselves, their
colleagues, and their patients,
benzodiazepines, and other drawer if the drawer is already is protected, and, indeed, by using their unique position to
drugs where no evidence can locked and the key is on the whether they would have cover support practices.
be found of monitoring, can partner’s keyring. You can’t if they were the victim of a
all present difficulties for the lock the consultation room robbery. FURThER inFoRmATion
locum. door while you go and hunt for n National Association of
the Sonicaid if no-one knows ThE locUm mAnAgEmEnT Sessional GPs – www.nasgp.
ThE locUm visiToR where the spare key is. It does consUlTAnT org.uk
In a practice it is inevitable not foster a good relationship Locums are a fresh pair of eyes, n Haynes, K. et al Clinical Risk
that, occasionally, someone between a locum and practice, not only for the patient but for Management in Primary Care.
will take the opportunity to if a locum discovers that the practice. They see almost Radcliffe Publishing ISBN
pocket an unattended Apple the small print of a practice every aspect of the practice 1-85775-869-2 (2005).
iPhone. However careful they insurance policy excludes and can spot the things that
are, locums are vulnerable cover for their belongings. go unnoticed: out-of-date Dr Judith Harvey is a council
to casual theft. You can’t Locums and practices need to test strips, a wobbly stool, an member of the NASGP, and a
lock your belongings in a consider whether their property outdated BNF – any of these recently-retired locum.
8 YOUR PRACTICE VOL. 3 NO. 1, 2009 www.mps.org.uk
YP07 pp06-08 real doctor.indd 8 29/1/09 10:56:57
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