A recent article in Pulse contained some worrying statistics on GP numbers which will undoubtedly lead to upward pressure on locum costs.
The responses that such articles generate can be also be depressing. Comments such as ‘Young GPs should not sign up to a dying profession as a partner and either be salaried or even better leave the UK for better prospects elsewhere’are not uncommon.
We all know that statistics can be manipulated to prove almost any point. Even so, there does seem to be a consensus that practices are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain partners which is leading to a rise in locum costs and recruitment costs.
Although the total number of GPs is up since 2001 (from 31,835 to 39,780) there has been a 2.5% fall in the number of GP partners.
- Pulse’s survey of 220 practices showed an average vacancy rate of 7.9%, up from 4.2% in 2011
- Pulse’s survey of 216 doctors revealed 107 were thinking of retiring early
Pulse also reveals that their surveyed practices had experienced a 9.5% increase in locum costs in the past 12 months, coming on top of the 9% rise in 2011.
There are many reasons that could explain why this has come about:
- excess of hospital specialty posts
- increase in numbers wanting a ‘portfolio’ career
- concerns about the effects of commissioning on general practice
- spiralling practice workloads
- impact of GPs taking on responsibility for commissioning
- ‘box-ticking’ culture
What we don’t know is what the continuing effect will be on locum costs in the coming 12 months.
So it’s worth checking whether the level of cover you now have in place – and which you may have had in place for some years – is going to be enough.
A practice which insured Dr A for a weekly sum of £400 many years ago will find that, today, this isn’t even enough to cover 2 sessions.
With the cost of locum insurance still so low, it’s a false economy for a practice to cut the amount of cover just to shave a few pounds off its locum insurance premium ... as those who have done just that will know when they’ve had to make a claim.
Author: Lynda Cox, March 2013
The opinions presented in this blog are solely those of the author on behalf of Practice Cover Limited and they do not constitute individual advice.
