NELG
North-East Employed and Locum GPs
Getting started as a locum
- Register for payment of CLASS II NATIONAL INSURANCE contributions. 084591-54655, or click the link to the Inland Revenue website.
- Join the NELG- this will keep you well informed of current working practices, you will receive notification of locum vacancies by email and other useful information. You can get support from other members at monthly NELG meetings. The NELG locum list is currently disseminated by the Tyne and Wear Contractor Services Agency. To ensure you name and contact details are passed on to practices you need to ring Christine Briggs or Janet Skelly on 0191 2196200 and ask to join the locum list (please note this is different to joining the supplementary list- see below).
- Join a performer's list (contact your PCT, the Contractor Services Agency deals with applications for lists held by Newcastle, North Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland, South Tyneside). CSA 0191-2196200.
- Read all about locuming and the National Association of Sessional GPs code of good practice from the NASGP website.
- Decide what fees you will charge and be clear about these with practices when you accept/confirm bookings.
- Get email and a mobile phone to be contacted about work. It is also useful to have a fax number for receiving written confirmation of work which is booked at short notice. If you don’t have a home fax machine you can sign up for a fax to email service for free at www.yac.com. This allows you to receive faxes as emails.
- Register with your local GP tutor for sessional GPs (Dr Paula Wright). To do this go to the Postgraduate Institute website then General Practice for more info on GP tutors. This will help ensure that you don't miss out on educational mailings
- Find out who to send your pension forms and cheques to at your PCT (see also pension page)
Setting your locum fees
The current law does not allow NELG to set recommended locum fees. However the BMA and the National Association of Sessional GPs have jointly published guidance on how individual locums can set their fees.
The pdf also contains a handy calculator in Excel format enabling you to do the calculations very simply
Guidance on calculating locum fees
Locum booking forms
Agreeing things in writing with a practice for each locum that you agree to do can be immensely helpful and can save arguments at a later date about what you did or did not agree to do.
Here are a couple of examples of booking forms that you might wish to use. If you would like to. please download them and amend them to your particular requirements.