1. Cost-Efficiency: Save significantly on locum costs. Pay a single, predictable fee, regardless of how many locum placements you make. This helps in budget management and cost control.

2. Unlimited Access: Access over 37,000  locums without worrying about additional costs per booking, ensuring you have the flexibility to fill staffing gaps as needed.

3. Streamlined Booking: Simplified and efficient booking process, allowing pharmacies to quickly find and secure locum professionals without the hassle of multiple fees or complicated payment structures.

4. Enhanced Planning: Easy budgeting and resource allocation, as the fixed fee provides predictability in staffing expenses, making it easier to plan for the long term.

5. Reduced Administrative Burden: Less paperwork and administrative work related to tracking and managing individual locum bookings and payments.

6. Faster Response: Rapid response to gaps since there's no hesitation in booking locum professionals due to cost concerns.

7. Quality Compliance: The platform can ensure the quality of locums.

8. Time Savings: Less time spent on agency contracts, and payment terms, allowing for more efficient locum placement.

9. Scalability: The ability to scale up or down in staffing quickly and cost-effectively to meet changing demand.

10. Peace of Mind: Knowing that locum costs won't fluctuate based on the number of placements can provide peace of mind and pharmacies to concentrate on delivering quality patient care.

As per a recent article (Jan 2024), over 90% of community pharmacies in England have now signed up to provide the Pharmacy First service.

The service is due to commence on 31st January 2024, subject to the required software solutions. One such solution that will make delivering Pharmacy First more straightforward is a workforce and locum management platform. 

How can a workforce and locum management platform help with delivering Pharmacy First?

• SOPs - as part of the requirements for delivering Pharmacy First, pharmacies must have accessible SOPs - including the process for escalating any clinical or non-clinical issues. The Locate a Locum platform allows you to configure and host SOPs on your Company Profile. Prompt locums to agree to adhere to the SOPs before being cleared to book/work shifts with your Company. 

• Shift Requirements - Post 31st January 2024 when Pharmacy First goes live pharmacies will need to make it clear to temporary staff and locums that they are opted in for Pharmacy First. The Locate a Locum platform allows you to configure requirements at shift level that prompt the locum and require acknowledgement before applying/ instant booking or negotiating for a shift.

• Reporting - Claiming payment and tracking spend versus services delivered will become essential for Pharmacies delivering Pharmacy First. The Locate a Locum platform allows you to configure Reason Codes to track the number of locum shifts created to cater for the Pharmacy First Services, this will help with understanding staffing costs versus service demand. 

• Increase revenue & ensure compliance - Locum cover could be exactly what you need in place to help deliver services, making sure you book a locum with the correct skillset, training and accreditation will be essential - whatsapp groups and manual methods for recruiting locums are too risky when it comes to delivering services. 

Any pharmacy owners that wish to implement a workforce and locum management platform by 31st January, will need to do so as soon as possible to ensure it is live before the roll-out of Pharmacy First.

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