The potential for locum vets and nurses to excel is often under-estimated. However, with the right input from you and choosing the right recruitment consultant to build a relationship with, you can expect locum staff to hit the ground running, with commitment, expertise and the same positive attitude as a permanent member of staff.
Why use Locum Staff?
- Sickness
- Maternity/Paternity cover
- Holiday
- Providing cover whilst role is vacant
- Temp to Perm
- Flexible workforce
- frozen head count
Preparation
- Prepare a brief of the role you have to fill - it may be a different role from the role of a permanent job
- Think about timings - taking into account a permanent member of staff to meet them and settle them in
- Research relevant recruitment consultants - good place to start is the REC website
- Prepare a set of criteria by which you will judge the effectiveness of the consultant
- Make a short list of consultants
Then ask yourself:
- Did you feel they understood what you were looking for?
- Did they take as much information as possible about your company and the booking you are discussing?
- Did they understand the type of staff you are looking for both in terms of skill set and culture fit.
- Did they send through a copy of their Terms of Business?
Managing the Workforce
- Keep the permanent staff aware of new locum workers and why they are there - this saves any undermining of the staff or animosity on their part.
- Create a 'mini induction' covering Health & Safety issues, fire exits, the accident book, when to take breaks and any procedures within the company which will help the locum work more effectively. Many of your practices procedures and policies will differ from other practices so its always a good idea to explain fully what your procedures are.
- Explain the role to the locum worker and give them a point of contact for any queries or questions
- Make sure they are aware of what criteria they may use to judge where they have done a good job
- Check within the first 4 hours that work completed is up to standard, feedback any problems or compliments to the recruiter.
- Sign the timesheet at the end of the assignment or each week if the booking is ongoing, and keep a copy to be married up when the invoice comes in
- It is important to differentiate between locums and permanent staff. the line between that status is very fine and employers often make the mistake in their efforts to make locums 'feel at home' particularly if they are there for a long period.
- Clients should not get involved in disciplinary discussions with the temps. Locums should not be on memo lists, holiday charts and work rotas. Invitations to company members should go as a separate memo to temps.
- Respect and value the contribution temps make to the overall well being of the company.
Is the locum legal?
One thing that is often overlooked when practices book locums directly (i.e. not through an agency) is whether the locum is working legally.
- Have they registered with the RCVS as a home practising member?
- Have you checked their ID, are they who they say they are?
- Have you checked their work visa (if applicable)
- Have they got Professional Indemnity Insurance
- If the locum is working self employed, have you the correct contracts in place, if not HMRC will view their payments as 'cash in hand' and you could be liable for any unpaid tax and NI.
Locums are a wonderful resource and in the main simply want to do the best job they can - feedback to the recruiter, both good and bad, will help move the relationship and make the matching process far more accurate.
Locum Induction Checklist
Pre-employment
- Joining instructions
- Company literature
Health & Safety
- Emergency exits
- Evacuation procedures
- First aid facilities
- Health & Safety policy
- Accident reporting
- Clothing
- Specific hazards
- Policy on smoking
Organisation
- Site map - canteen, first aid post, etc
- Telephone system
- Computer system
- Company products and services
- Vaccination schedules
- Prescriptions policies
- Security procedures
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