Our Top 4 Reasons Why A Surge For Locum Staff Is Inevitable

Of the many things affected by the Corona virus lockdown, the NHS is at the top of the list. Not only are they dealing with a serious influx of patients, calls, questions and more, they are experiencing many knock-on effects as a result. All of which, we believe, will result in a surge of demand for locum staff in the near future. Here are our top 4 reasons why.

1. Non-essential medical appointments and operations have been postponed. This backlog will need to be cleared as well as the current need dealt with.

Many regular hospital functions have been temporarily put on hold whilst staff cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes routine appointments, non-essential treatments and non-essential surgeries that would cause a long stay in the hospital. Part of this is due to a lack of intensive care beds within UK hospitals to accommodate for those infected by Corona virus. Any patients that are medically fit to leave are being dismissed to free up space. All of which will most likely lead to a serious influx of new patients when lockdown has ended and hospitals are free to treat patients in a normal capacity.

2. Cancer mortalities caused indirectly by Corona will soar in the next 5 years which means a huge demand for oncology related staff.

Experts have warned that following the virus, more people will die from cancer related deaths as the current policies are creating major disruptions to cancer services and care.
Richard Sullivan, a professor of cancer and global health at King's College London and director of its Institute of Cancer Policy, said: "We need an urgent exit strategy and an effective, integrated and intelligent approach to get the lockdown lifted in a controlled manner in order to get time-critical patients like those with cancer back into the system.

3. We need to do this as fast as possible

This will undoubtably lead to a major requirement for oncology related staff in the very near future to cope with the increase in demand for cancer care.
A large amount of Permanent vacancies haven’t been filled during lockdown. This means a larger need for temporary staff
With all focus on the Corona virus, a large number of permanent vacancies within the NHS haven’t been filled. At the moment, there are no plans to change this and as a result, the NHS is severely short staffed. Most likely, this will lead to a more concentrated effort to recruit temporary staff such as locum healthcare professionals in order to fill up the gaps.

4. Govt 18 week target from GP to Treatment is not being hit and is set to get worse. Temporary staffing will be needed to get these targets on course

Finally, as a result of Covid-19, the government’s 18 week targets to see patients transition from their GP to full treatment is not being hit. In fact, it is suggested that it will get increasingly worse over time. Especially due to the massive shortage of NHS healthcare professionals. In order to meet these targets, the NHS will surely be looking to recruit a large amount of temporary staff.

Find the perfect NHS role with Globe

At Globe Locum we have a wealth of experience in placing healthcare professionals like you in NHS roles. If you’re looking to work with the NHS following lockdown, but aren’t sure how to begin, use our find a job tool. We also run a refer a friend scheme where our candidates can earn £250 for one successful referral. Earn more with each subsequent referral.

Have any questions? Contact us or give us a call on +44 (0)20 7229 2620.