The recruitment crisis in GP practice goes from bad to worse, with news that Leicester City Council now has to offer £20,000 ‘golden hellos’ just to attract new GPs to the city.
The council made the offer after Professor Azhar Farooqi, co-chair of the local CCG and a GP, showed in a paper that older GPs are retiring in droves, while more and more young GPs are opting for salaried or locum status. Hardly news to anyone who works in general practice!
Why are young GPs shunning the chance to become partners? There are many reasons, but one is that overstretched, under-resourced partnerships can appear unstable and unattractive.
This creates a vicious circle for GPs and practice managers: the more stretched they become, the harder it is to attract partners who might alleviate the problem.
What does this have to do with locum insurance?
Put yourself in the position of a young, freshly qualified GP. What factors would push you towards accepting the offer to join a practice?
If your prospective practice has locum insurance in place, this means reassurance that you’re joining a practice that is sensibly run and plans ahead. If an illness or injury befalls you or your colleagues, the practice won’t be thrown into a panic and the bottom line won’t take a battering.
It might seem like a small detail, but with new GP talent harder and harder to attract, every GP partner or practice manager should be thinking about it.
Another reason that young GPs are choosing locum status over joining partnerships is, of course, how much money some locums can charge! This can range from £240 to £800 per day depending on which part of the country you are based*. Whether or not your practice is recruiting, locum insurance makes sound business sense.
Practice Cover will pay out £2,500 a week for up to 52 weeks after a four-week deferment period to cover GP absences owing to illness, injury, suspension and even jury service – all for a tax-relievable annual premium of less than £1,500. The payout doesn’t even have to go to a locum – it’s down to you how you spend it.
Call us on 0800 028 5633 or 023 8051 3286 to discuss your locum insurance cover needs.
*Locums booked directly by practices, 2012/2013, GPOnline/Medeconomics
http://www.gponline.com/locum-rates-2012-13-locums-booked-directly-practices/article/1227547
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. Practice Cover is a trading name of Practice Cover Limited and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
