The managing director of niche job board BritishMedicalJobs, Andre Shelton (right), has warned that employing more locums in the NHS as permanent jobs are cut could have a detrimental effect on patient care if resources continue to be overstretched. 

Commenting on a 55% increase in demand for locum vacancies and a comparative 55% boost in the number of online applications since the Coalition government took office, Shelton says: “We expected to see an increase in candidate registrations, applications and a change in the types of roles we would see advertised in light of the government spending cuts. However, no one could have quite anticipated the speed at which these changes would start to take effect.

“Accelerating the withdrawal of key services from the NHS [under the government’s Health & Social Care Bill, which many believe will result in the loss of some 50,000 healthcare positions] has not only seen an increase in the number of temporary staff/locums being employed and an unprecedented rise in healthcare professionals registering for work, but it is in danger of alienating public support for the health service.”