Under the spotlight: Locum work in Manchester

15 July • Locum

Manchester is one of the UK’s biggest cities and is home to many of the largest and most prestigious hospitals and medical facilities in the country. In addition, the large population is served by a large number of GP practices and other healthcare facilities, meaning that there is no shortage of opportunities for locum workers to pick up shifts and find locum work in Manchester. Manchester is also a great place to live and work and there are many reasons why hundreds of thousands of people have chosen to call the city home. Let's take a look under the spotlight at locum work in Manchester...

Great transport connections

High-speed train connections mean that Manchester is just over two hours by train from London Euston station. It is equally well connected to all parts of the UK by rail with quick and regular train services departing the city’s two major rail stations Piccadilly and Victoria for destinations like Birmingham, Cardiff, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The city is also well connected to the rest of the world by air. Manchester Airport has three terminals and handles many millions of passengers each year. The wide range of flights connects the city to locations all over Europe and a number of popular long-haul hotspots including New York, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Easy to get around

Transport within Manchester is also very high quality, with most city residents managing to reside without the need for a car. The city is well-known for its bright yellow Metrolink tram system, which links most parts of the city together with services operating seven days a week every 6 or 12 minutes.

The bus network in Manchester has also recently been overhauled and fares are now capped at £2 for each single journey. The network will also be taken into local authority control in the coming years which should lead to more reliable services running for more of the day.

Most of Manchester’s hospitals are clustered around the same stretch of Oxford Road as the university, meaning that the area is exceptionally well served by public transport.

Finding somewhere to live in Manchester

The price of housing in Manchester is notably lower than in London or other parts of South East England. This means that the money you earn from locum work in Manchester is likely to go much further in the city. Spinningfields and Deansgate are home to some major new apartment developments, as is the popular Northern Quarter district by Manchester Piccadilly station. Further from the city centre, the areas of Chorlton and Didsbury are generally very popular with young families and benefit from excellent public transport links to the major hospitals on Oxford Road and other medical facilities. Put simply, there is no shortage of great places to live in and around Manchester. For those who want more information on the topic, including details of the best value areas to buy property, this guide from the Manchester Evening News has some excellent suggestions.

Things to do in and around Manchester

Manchester is best known around the world for two things - football and music. The city’s two major football teams, Manchester City and Manchester United are well known for a long-standing rivalry. The city tends to become very busy on match days and tickets for popular games such as Manchester Derbys can be difficult to obtain without a serious amount of planning. Those who are not able to get tickets will find that most games are shown in a large number of bars in and around the city. From time to time, big screens are set up in Piccadilly Gardens in the heart of Manchester to show important games.

The music scene primarily congregates around the Northern Quarter, although there are venues, clubs and bars in all parts of the city. The giant Manchester Arena, one of the largest music venues in the UK regularly plays host to artists from all over the world. Those who prefer indie music will find that there are all sorts of smaller and more intimate venues where up-and-coming bands (and some who have been on the scene for rather longer) regularly perform. Visitors will have a good chance of catching someone just starting who later goes on to make it big. It has happened plenty of times before!

Exploring the UK from Manchester

Manchester’s excellent location means that it is also close to other popular cities and attractions in the UK. The city of Liverpool, home of The Beatles and a huge amount of the UK’s industrial heritage is just over 30 minutes from Manchester by train. The city is also surrounded by fantastic countryside for those who enjoy exploring such areas. Whether it’s walking, hiking, cycling or cross-country running, there is no shortage of great places to explore in and around the city. There are also many fabulous countryside restaurants and pubs located around Manchester which make for excellent destinations for those who like to get a little eating or drinking done when they go to explore the area around them.

Under the spotlight - locum work in Manchester

All of these factors come together to make Manchester an excellent choice of destination for those who are looking to take on locum medical work while getting to know the UK a little better. Its location in the heart of England, vibrant and developing music scene and cosmopolitan nature mean that anyone can feel at home in the heart of the city or nearby. The city centre is compact enough to make it friendly and easy to get to know. Manchester is the perfect choice of UK destination for all sorts of people and we can put you in touch with the jobs and positions that will make it possible for you to get the most out of being there.