 Re: locum vs employee
I have no doubt there are some very good, highly professional, locums out in the community. There are also some who are less than professional..
Had a locum all fixed up for my annual holidays last year. We had exchanged e-mails, six months previously confirming our arrangement so was looking forward to that sunny beach in Turkey. Was therefore stunned when he phoned me one evening, just before departure, and said he was not doing the locum for me. No reason was given. Guess who will not be using him again. Neither will the multiple I work for as I put the word about as to his poor conduct.
Another locum insisted on using a taxi between the local railway station and the pharmacy I work at, a distance of about 400 yards. What I would call the height of laziness as it is an easy walk well sign-posted. According to the girls in the pharmacy he spent most of his time reading newspapers, which was easily confirmed by a FULL waste paper bin. Mind you they were QUALITY newspapers. None of this page 3 rubbish.
There may well be difficult days ahead for independant locums, at least those who do not pull their weight. The multiple I work is pushing us to use company employed locums/relief pharmacists as opposed to independant locums. Mind you the number of their branches with NO MANAGER is frightening, presumably run by locums. No wonder they are pushing so hard for one pharmacist being responsible for more than one pharmacy.  |