Starting at a new practice means learning how that team works as well as seeing patients. A familiar clinical system can still contain unfamiliar appointment lists, referral routes and task queues. Ask for those details before the day so induction does not depend on whoever happens to be free.
Use this checklist to prepare questions for the hiring practice. It is an operational planning aid; the practice’s local procedures and your professional judgement determine how the clinical work is delivered.
Prepare your profile and compare session offers
Use the editable availability template to summarise your recent experience, clinical systems, preferred working arrangements and available dates. Describe what you can evidence and any support you need; keep patient information and identity documents out of the initial enquiry.
Use the session comparison worksheet before agreeing a booking. Compare the actual duties, paid hours, induction, administration, travel, offered pay, expenses and cancellation terms. The hourly figure is only one part of the session. The worksheet calculates gross comparisons from your own offers; it does not estimate take-home pay or recommend a market rate.
Confirm what you have agreed to cover
Save a written brief with the practice name, country, site, date, start and finish times and contact person. Check whether those hours include induction, breaks, administration and handover. For a split day, ask what happens between sessions and whether attendance at another site is expected.
Ask about the appointment mix, planned consultation lengths, duty responsibilities and any home visits. Clarify which results, correspondence and follow-up tasks form part of your session. If the brief only says “usual GP duties”, ask the practice to turn that into a specific workload before you agree.
For a repeat booking, record the dates individually and note any different pattern. An enquiry receipt or an informal discussion is not a confirmed assignment.
Save a copy of the editable checklist below and use it to record the person resolving each outstanding item. Keep patient information out and use the practice’s authorised system for clinical handover.
Settle registration and evidence before the start
Check that your GMC registration, licence to practise and GP Register status fit the post. The GMC explains that the GP Register covers NHS general practice, including locum work, across the UK. Check the performers-list requirements for each UK nation separately. What works in one country may not satisfy another.
Agree with the practice what evidence it needs about identity, right to work, recent experience, references and indemnity for this assignment, and how to send it securely. A registration number entered on a form is not a completed check. Keep a list of outstanding items and who is resolving each one.
Sources: GMC: the GP Register
Arrange arrival, induction and your own access
Confirm the entrance, arrival time, parking or travel arrangements and who will meet you. Ask for a short local induction covering the rooms, equipment, communication channels and where to find current procedures. Save a backup number for delays or an unavailable reception contact.
Identify which clinical, consultation and messaging systems you need. Ask the practice to arrange your individual permissions and a test before the first patient session. The local Registration Authority manages NHS Care Identity permissions. A smartcard from another workplace may not have this practice’s permissions set up yet.
Keep your smartcard and passcode to yourself. If access fails, contact the designated support person and agree what work can safely proceed. A colleague’s login is not a substitute.
Ask the practice for an induction pack before the session. Our blank pack gives both sides a shared list of contacts, access arrangements and handover questions to complete; a filled-in document still needs to be checked against the actual session.
Sources: NHS England Digital: smartcards and authenticators
Know who can help during the session
Record the operational contact for appointment or room problems, the clinical colleague available for advice and the route for urgent concerns. Ask how to reach them while they are consulting and who covers if they are absent. The answer should be more precise than “send a message to the team”.
Ask where to find the practice’s current referral, safeguarding, incident-reporting and emergency arrangements. You need to know where things are; you do not need copies. Keep patient information and internal documents out of personal notes.
Plan the end of the session at the beginning
Ask which named clinician or team receives outstanding tasks and how receipt is confirmed. Include work that may arrive after you leave, such as results or responses to a referral. The GMC’s continuity standard requires necessary information to be shared and, where practical, confirmation that responsibility has passed to a named clinician or team.
Use the practice’s approved clinical record and handover process. Build time for this into the agreed session, so you are not left at the end of the day with nobody to hand over to. If the workload or support changes, raise it promptly through the practice’s local route.
Close the booking clearly
Confirm who approves the hours, where to send an invoice if invoicing applies and the agreed payment date. Record any authorised change to the hours or duties while it is fresh. A short note about what made induction easier can help with a return visit; keep it free of patient details.
For an introduction through FindALocum, the hiring organisation contracts with and pays you directly. FindALocum’s separate booking fee is paid by the hirer. Registering your availability is free and does not guarantee sessions.
Common questions
Does previous EMIS or SystmOne experience replace induction?
No. Familiarity with a product does not confirm your local permissions, appointment structure, task allocation or escalation route. Ask for an induction proportionate to the particular practice and work.
Should a first session include administration time?
Ask the practice to state the administration and handover expected, and how that fits within the agreed paid hours. Settle this before accepting. The appointment list is often not the whole workload.
Can I register while some documents need updating?
You can explain your situation and availability without claiming checks are complete. Any evidence required for the assignment must be resolved before the work that depends on it begins.
Official sources
Sources checked . Requirements can differ by country, employer and role; use the current guidance relevant to the work.
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