Stop Wasting Money on Locums: Safer Alternatives for Primary Care

• 22nd January 2026

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Reliance on locum pharmacists has become increasingly costly as rates rise and temporary cover is used to plug ongoing capacity gaps rather than short-term need. Long-term locum dependency can reduce continuity, increase supervision burden, and create avoidable financial pressure for PCNs and practices. Safer, planned workforce alternatives offer a more sustainable way to maintain service delivery while controlling cost.

• Why Locum Use Has Increased in Primary Care
• The Hidden Costs of Locum Dependence
• When Locums Make Sense (And When They Don’t)
• Safe Locum Alternatives for PCNs and Practices
• How Reducing Locum Spend Improves Safety and Stability
• How Core Prescribing Solutions Can Help

Key takeaways

• Heavy reliance on a locum pharmacist drives cost and continuity risk.
• Planned alternatives help reduce locum spend without compromising safety.
• Safe locum alternatives improve stability, quality, and long-term value.

Why Locum Use Has Increased in Primary Care

Locum use has grown in response to practical workforce pressures rather than preference.

• Workforce shortages and unfilled vacancies creating immediate gaps in cover.
• Short-term sickness, parental leave, and other unplanned absence.
• Expansion of services and responsibilities without matching increases in permanent capacity.
• Ongoing pressure to maintain patient access and meet delivery expectations.

The Hidden Costs of Locum Dependence

While locums can provide short-term cover, ongoing reliance often brings hidden costs that extend beyond headline rates.

• Higher daily and hourly rates compared with substantive roles.
• Reduced continuity of care, leading to more follow-up work and handovers.
• Increased supervision and onboarding time for temporary staff.
• Variable familiarity with local systems, pathways, and prescribing practices.
• Long-term budget pressure as short-term fixes become ongoing costs.

When Locums Make Sense (And When They Don’t)

Scenario	When locums are appropriate	When locums become a risk
Short-term absence	Covering sickness, annual leave, or parental leave with a clear end date.	Repeated short-term bookings that indicate an underlying staffing gap.
Emergency cover	Providing immediate support to maintain safe service delivery.	Becoming the default solution for routine capacity pressures.
Service continuity	Temporary cover while a permanent role is recruited.	Ongoing reliance that disrupts continuity and follow-up care.
Cost and planning	Short, planned use within an agreed budget.	Long-term use that drives unpredictable spend and budget pressure.

Safe Locum Alternatives for PCNs and Practices

Safer, planned workforce models can maintain service delivery while reducing cost and reliance on short-term cover.

• Building substantive pharmacist capacity by recruiting permanent or fixed-term roles to cover predictable workload.
• Shared PCN-based pharmacists who provide flexible cover across practices while maintaining continuity and local knowledge.
• Flexible sessional roles that offer regular, planned capacity without the premium cost of ad-hoc locums.
• Using pharmacy technicians to release pharmacist time, shifting appropriate tasks and improving overall capacity.
• Planned bank or trusted pool models that use familiar clinicians with agreed rates, induction, and governance.

These safe locum alternatives support stability, quality, and better value over time.

How Reducing Locum Spend Improves Safety and Stability

Reducing reliance on locums supports safer, more stable service delivery across primary care.

• Better continuity of care through consistent clinical relationships and follow-up.
• Stronger MDT working as teams become more integrated and familiar with local pathways.
• Improved medicines optimisation outcomes due to greater ownership and accountability.
• Reduced clinical risk associated with frequent handovers and unfamiliarity with systems.

How Core Prescribing Solutions Can Help

Core Prescribing Solutions supports PCNs and practices in reviewing locum usage and cost drivers to understand where reliance has developed.

We help design safe locum alternatives, support workforce redesign and capacity planning, and work with teams to reduce locum spend sustainably while maintaining safe, consistent service delivery.