Locum roles and advertised rates: comparing your options
Explore GP, pharmacist, pharmacy technician and practice nurse work, with sourced hourly examples and a checklist for comparing bookings.
Roles, rates and working patterns
Locum guides and practice checklists
Prepare a clear cover brief, check the arrangements for a first session and plan remote induction. Our resources cover general practice and pharmacy, with the relevant official sources.
For interviews, career changes and working arrangements, visit the locum careers blog.
No matching articles. Try another keyword or choose a different topic.
New to pharmacy locum work?
How to become a locum pharmacist
Start with registration, documents and choosing a first booking that fits your experience.
Read the guideFor locums, practices and PCNs
Plan the work before the first session
Use these checklists to discuss duties, access, support and booking terms. They help prepare an enquiry; the actual role and required checks still need to be agreed.
Build a free locum agreement →
Your first locum GP session: a checklist
Prepare for a first locum GP session: agree the workload, confirm checks and access, meet the practice team and arrange payment and handover.
GP locums
A GP locum cover brief your practice can reuse
Prepare a clear locum GP request with a reusable text template covering dates, workload, clinical systems, support, pay and booking confirmation.
GP practice
Booking a locum practice nurse: a GP practice checklist
Prepare to book a locum practice nurse with an editable brief covering clinics, relevant skills, registration, induction, equipment and local support.
Practice nursing
Remote GP onboarding checklist
Plan a remote locum GP session with clear duties, approved equipment, individual access, on-site support, downtime arrangements and handover.
GP locums
A remote pharmacist induction checklist for GP practices
Prepare a remote pharmacist for GP-practice sessions: individual system access, agreed tasks, clinical support, contingency plans and clear handover.
GP practice
Editable checklists to use with your team
Download a plain-text copy, edit it in your preferred editor and use it alongside the relevant guide. Keep patient details, passwords and identity documents out of these planning notes.
- GP availability and profile template (TXT)
Prepare an accurate summary of your experience, availability and working preferences.
- GP session comparison worksheet (TXT)
Compare duties, paid time, travel, offered pay and terms across two sessions.
- GP locum cover brief (TXT)
Set out the sessions, workload, systems and booking arrangements.
- GP first-session checklist (TXT)
Agree what needs to be ready before, during and after the session.
- Practice nurse cover brief (TXT)
Record the clinics, required skills, equipment and local support.
- Remote GP onboarding checklist (TXT)
Assign owners for access, induction, escalation and handover.
AK
Example locum
Pharmacist · GPhC
✓Registration on the public registerChecked
✓Right to work in the UKChecked
✓Indemnity coverChecked
…ReferencesWaiting
Example for illustration
Checks
Every locum checked before booking
Registration, right to work and indemnity are checked before a locum can be booked. Our guides explain what to prepare and what to ask.
How we check locumsFor pharmacists
Starting and managing locum work
Documents, choosing shifts, preparing for a new branch and getting paid.
How to become a locum pharmacist
How to start locum pharmacy work in the UK: professional registration, documents, choosing a first shift and agreeing pay before you book.
4 minute read
Locum pharmacist documents checklist
Which documents do locum pharmacists need? A UK checklist covering registration, right to work, indemnity, references, training and secure submission.
4 minute read
Locum pharmacist rates: hours, expenses and pay
What locum pharmacists are paid, from the latest published figures, and how paid hours, breaks, travel and expenses change what a shift is worth.
4 minute read
How to choose a locum pharmacist shift
Questions to ask before accepting a locum pharmacist shift: duties, staffing, Pharmacy First, PMR access, travel, pay and booking confirmation.
3 minute read
First locum shift: PMR and pharmacy induction checklist
A first-day checklist for locum pharmacists covering PMR access, smartcards, team roles, local procedures, booked services and handover.
3 minute read
Locum pharmacist invoices and getting paid
How to invoice for locum pharmacy work, record hours and expenses, agree payment terms and follow up an unpaid invoice with the right payer.
3 minute read
Locum pharmacist tax and expenses: 2026/27 guide
How self-employed locum pharmacists register for Self Assessment, what they can claim, mileage rates, National Insurance and Making Tax Digital in 2026/27.
5 minute read
Locum pharmacist IR35: limited company or sole trader?
Whether to locum through a limited company, who decides IR35 status for NHS, high street and small clients, and the 2026/27 rates that affect the choice.
5 minute read
Locum pharmacist insurance: the indemnity cover you need
What indemnity cover the GPhC and PSNI require of locum pharmacists, when an employer's cover counts, and what to check before each booking.
4 minute read
Hospital locum pharmacist first-shift checklist
Prepare for a hospital pharmacist booking: department, duties, checks, clinical systems, local induction, escalation and handover, with an editable checklist.
5 minute read
Editable preparation checklists
Save a plain-text copy to edit with your team and use alongside the relevant guide. These planning notes do not replace checks, local procedures or booking confirmation.
- Hospital pharmacist induction checklist (TXT)
Record the department, access, local procedures, support, handover and owners of outstanding actions.
For pharmacy technicians
Preparing for technician work
Role-specific documents, checking responsibilities and first-shift induction across pharmacy and general practice.
Locum pharmacy technician document checklist
Prepare for locum pharmacy technician work: registration, qualifications, references, role-specific competence and secure document checks.
5 minute read
Locum pharmacy technician first-shift checklist
Plan a first locum technician shift: agreed duties, induction, authorised access, checking scope, support and handover, with an editable checklist.
5 minute read
Editable preparation checklists
Save a plain-text copy to edit with your team and use alongside the relevant guide. These planning notes do not replace checks, local procedures or booking confirmation.
- Pharmacy technician document index (TXT)
Track requested evidence, checking contacts and outstanding actions without copying sensitive documents.
- Pharmacy technician first-shift checklist (TXT)
Assign owners for preparation, induction, scope, access and the end-of-shift handover.
For pharmacies
Booking pharmacy cover
What to put in a cover request, how to check service requirements and what to do if a locum cancels.
How to book a locum pharmacist: pharmacy checklist
What to include when booking a locum pharmacist: branch, dates, duties, services, pay, required checks and first-day arrangements.
3 minute read
Locum pharmacist cancellations: a cover plan
What pharmacies should do when a locum cancels: confirm the facts, contact the right people, request replacement cover and record the outcome.
3 minute read
Pharmacy First locum requirements across the UK
Check locum requirements for Pharmacy First and other UK pharmacy services: national differences, prescribing, competence, branch arrangements and access.
4 minute read
Editable cover brief
Save a plain-text copy to edit with your team and use alongside the relevant guide. These planning notes do not replace checks, local procedures or booking confirmation.
- Community pharmacy cover brief (TXT)
An editable record of shifts, duties, systems, staffing, checks and payment arrangements.
About these guides
FindALocum’s resources bring together booking checklists and information from professional regulators, NHS bodies and government sources. Sources and publication or update dates are shown on each article.
Requirements vary by country, role and service. Follow the current official documents and your booking terms. Read the editorial policy or suggest a correction.
PracticeExample Surgery
SessionMonday, 8:30am to 6pm
RateAgreed hourly rate
Cancellation notice14 days
Locum agreementFees and cancellation
Ready to download
Example values for illustration
Free tools
Turn a checklist into a document
Build a locum agreement, an induction pack or a cost estimate. Free to use, with no account needed.
Try the agreement builderReady to set out your cover needs?
Register free, then send the profession, workplace, dates, hours and duties when you need cover. We’ll discuss suitable availability.