LOCUMS


WhILE thE rESt of thE UK EnJoYS accESS to a LargE banK of PharmacY LocUmS, PIf LooKS at WhY nI IS StrUggLIng to fILL LocUm PoSItIonS…


Locums: is the short supply a long-term problem?


I


f you’re a pharmacy contractor or pharmacy owner, who has recently been looking for a locum, you may


have become aware of just how difficult it is to find one! Where, a few years ago, you would have been spoilt for choice thanks to an oversupply of qualified pharmacy locums, the dearth that’s currently facing the profession here is obvious to everyone involved.


Uca operations manager, adrienne clugston, is greatly concerned at the shortage of locums available to contractors and employers in the province.


‘Uca has supported members to secure locum pharmacists for many years,’ she tells Pif. ‘We went digital a few years ago with Uca Locum online – our completely free service to members connecting the 50+ locums registered with our organisation.


‘In the fifteen years I’ve been with Uca, I’ve certainly witnessed shortages and surpluses of pharmacists, but this year has been the most difficult I’ve ever experienced. It’s a complex situation that I think has been caused by a number of factors, such as the surplus experienced a couple of years ago; the recruitment of practice-based pharmacists across northern Ireland and even the mix of students coming through university.


‘In recent years we’ve seen an increase in overseas students studying


10 - PharmacY In focUS


and taking pre-registration placements in northern Ireland.


‘however, our members have been struggling with the visa system, which was definitely not designed to cater for pre-reg pharmacists. as a result, those who do complete their course in nI and are keen to work on for a couple of years before returning home, find the system too difficult to navigate.


summer holiday this year. Uca has alerted the health & Social care board and the department of health to the severity of the current situation but, with potentially 158 pharmacists qualifying this year, the question remains, are there enough pharmacists coming through to fill the workforce gaps?’


Kevin o’neill, managing director of clarity Locums, believes that there


‘manY of oUr mEmbErS arE rEPortIng grEat dIffIcULtY gEttIng a rEPLacEmEnt


PharmacISt or LocUm covEr to aLLoW thEm


to EvEn taKE a SUmmEr hoLIdaY thIS YEar’


‘the new practice-based pharmacist role is a positive development for the pharmacy profession and some of our members, who have perhaps recently lost an experienced pharmacist, are using the opportunity to bring a new pharmacist with fresh ideas into their business.


‘however, many of our members are reporting great difficulty getting a replacement pharmacist or locum cover to allow them to even take a


are. he does, however, believe that it could be the perception of the profession at the moment, coupled with the rates relative to those of our gb counterparts that may be putting potential candidates off the idea of locuming in northern Ireland.


‘over the last few months in particular we’ve noticed a decline in the number of available locums in nI’ he said, ‘and I think that there are a range of reasons for this.


‘When you consider that, across the


border, locums are getting €35 an hour and in mainland britain a minimum of £20 per hr, the nI rates may not seem as attractive.


‘however, it must be said that most of our clients have been more than understanding of the current situation, increasing the rates offered in order to attract locums back.


‘the number of locums available for work will certainly ramp up with the new 2017 cohort, who have just qualified and, in fact, we’re already taking locum bookings from this cohort for the summer.’


Kevin agrees with adrienne clugston’s assertion that this current shortage of locums is linked to the previous oversupply of locums.


‘that oversupply definitely impacted on the current situation,’ he said. ‘We regularly receive queries from pharmacists, who have since left nI, now asking about the levels of locum work available.


‘In this case, we really emphasise the abundance of locum work available today. therefore, it is still quite possible that many locums are unaware of the opportunities here and this is what we, as a company, are seeking to combat - the disconnect between the pharmacist and the locum or full-time opportunity.’ •


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