Most pharmacies have a pool of direct locums, but how many of your directs are engaged? If you post an emergency shift to your pool of directs, what percentage of them respond? If the answer is below 50% then you’re not alone.

Pharmacies are reporting more and more often that their pool of direct locums has become stale and disengaged and this is becoming more of a hindrance than a help. Having a pool of disengaged locums is indirectly leading to store closures. To overcome this it is essential to build a pool of engaged locums through regular communication and competitive rates. Engagement with your locums minimises the risk of last-minute store closures and allows you to reduce agency fees and become self-sufficient.

How do you re-engage your pool of direct locums?

Communication is key when thinking about engagement and this refers to both content and the channels and mediums you are using to communicate. Often we hear that shift coordinators send shift notifications through WhatsApp and they store their locums’ details on a spreadsheet.

There are two problems with this method:

1.WhatsApp presents a GDPR risk - Companies have been fined for improper communication due to using this platform

2.Spreadsheets are notoriously error-prone - Locum data can easily become outdated which can cause issues for compliance and administration staff

The solution to these issues is to implement a locum management platform. Locate a Locum allows you to capture and securely store your locum pool’s information, including compliance documents, and instantly communicate through shift notifications. Not only this but it also allows your pool to accept or decline shifts in seconds.

Locate a Locum helped Weldricks increase locum engagement by 90%.

Find out how we can help you