Locum pharmacist rates have been a hot topic within the pharmacy industry for the last few years. Due to various factors, the demand for locum pharmacists is at an all-time high, and this increased demand is impacting locum rates.

In our latest rates study, we take an in-depth look at the trends in locum pharmacist rates between April 1st 2023 and March 31st 2024, in comparison to the same period in 2022-2023.

Methodology

We analysed over 200,000 locum pharmacist shifts booked on the Locate a Locum platform between the 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024, which amounts to over 40,000 more shifts than the previous period. With this data, we were able to analyse the average locum pharmacist rate of booked/worked shifts.

These findings were sorted by city and region across the UK. In the interest of complete accuracy, the below rates were taken from booked/worked shifts by locum pharmacists for one year.

What factors influence shift rate?

There are many different factors that influence the shift rate. However to put it simply it is typically a result of supply versus demand.

For example, if there are fewer locums available to work in a particular area or on a particular day the rate tends to increase. On the other hand on an average day where there are many locums applying for shifts in that area shifts or on that day the shift rate will not fluctuate drastically and may stay the same for long periods of time.

Who decides the shift rate?

This is a question we get asked all the time and the answer is really simple. The Pharmacy sets the rate.

We at Locate a Locum have never been responsible for setting the rate of shifts on our site. Locate a Locum is a technology platform that connects locums with pharmacies to help facilitate shift bookings but in no way do we set the rate.

What do you think?

What did you think of the top rates? Have you encountered any similar rates? Let us know the top rate you saw in 2023-24 - did time of year or location play a part in it?