Terms of Business

Superannuation status

IMPORTANT: Until further notice Employer's contributions for Locum superannuation will (continue to) be paid by the Locum's host PCT.

Overview

This document is based on the guidance issued by North York and Selby LMC. The purpose of their guidance is to outline the expectations that Practices and Locums have of each other. I have modified the original.

Booking Arrangements and Confirmation of Booking

Employing Practices should confirm bookings by e-mail. Please see the section Employing my Services for a suggested procedure to follow. The exchange of e-mails will constitute our contract, and the Terms of Business detailed here will apply unless otherwise specifically agreed.

Terms of Booking

The following details need to be specified when arranging bookings:

Start time

The starting time of the booking is the time from which I am first expected to be available to the Practice. If I'm required to provide emergency cover before the start time of the first booked appointment this should be clearly stated, and will be subject to an additional payment.

Finish Time

The time of completion of the booking should also be specified, and should detail any continuing emergency cover required by the practice, if applicable.

Normal Sessional Period

A single session booking is normally for a continuous interval not greater than 3½ hours. The number of patients booked in a session is negotiable, but the current pattern in most practices is to book about 30 planned consultations per day split, for example as maybe 17/13 or 15/15 a.m./p.m. Depending on the work required I may need the Practice to insert gaps into the consultation schedule, to ensure 'catch-up' time. Most surgery sessions generate additional administration work, taken here to be (a notional) 30 minutes for associated administration.

The midday period between the two sessions should be free of Practice commitments, unless separately negotiated.

The exact amount of consultation service required will be negotiated when I receive a request fromn a Practice to provide locum services.

The Practice will need to provide a Dictaphone if required for preparing correspondence. If possible, during the midday break, I would like the use of a consulting room with a computer and access to the Internet.

Booking Intervals

Ten minute appointments are now the norm in General Practice, and I will need this even if some permanent medical staff book at shorter intervals. Remember that I will often need more time in each consultation due to lack of prior knowledge of the patients, and extra time to familiarise myself with Practice computer systems, procedures and referral systems. Adequate time provision should be made for any telephone consultations.

The last appointment slot of a booked surgery session should begin at least 10 minutes before the end of the surgery session (e.g. a session due to finish at 6.00pm should have the last patient booked no later than 5.50pm).

Urgent/Extras consulting

Extras consulting should be booked after (at the end of) booked/routine consultation work unless otherwise specified. 'Extras' should be booked at 10 minute intervals. 'Extras' consulting will be subject to additional payment, and I will agree the fee for 'extra' consulting with a Practice at the time of booking.

The work to be done in consultation

It is not possible to define this precisely. However, I expect to work in the same way as the permanent medical staff of a Practice. In addition to normal consultation services this will include the full range of data entry into the Practice computer, and full maintenance of the computer record.

GMS Practice income (from QOF work) depends on efficient data entry. I will ensure that I don't cost Practices money on this point.

Visits

Normally to a maximum of three patients, although this number may be exceeded for multiple visits at one location (e.g. a Care Home). I would expect to cover one visit for each 25 to 30 minutes allocated; though this is subject to the driving time involved. Busy town traffic, or visits to remote rural locations, will increase the time required. In these circumstances, the normal expectation of 2 visits in an hour should be adjusted accordingly.

The fee to be charged per visit will be agreed with a Practice at the time of booking.

Drugs and Equipment

I will provide and maintain personal medical equipment such as a stethoscope, otoscope and ophthalmoscope, but not drugs or associated equipment (syringes etc.).

Practices should ensure that adequate supplies of in date emergency medication and equipment for administration are available in the surgery.

When I conduct home visits or provide emergency cover, a suitable portable pack, including prescription forms, emergency drugs, nebuliser, syringes etc. should be available from the time that such cover begins.

Scheduled drugs present a particular problem. Practices are not allowed to put DDAs in a Locum pack. The requirements of the Home Office present an onerous burden for Locums who attempt to maintain and record their own DDA pack. In the circumstances I won't carry DDAs.

On–call

I may be available to provide emergency cover outside of the normal sessional period. This is outside the normal terms of a working session, is subject to agreement, and will be subject to additional payment.

Additional payment will also apply if I am required to provide emergency cover over the midday break of a full day booking, when such cover increases the number of working hours to more than 3½ hours for a half day or more than 7 hours for a full day booking.

Information for Locums

When I first work in your Practice I will need brief 'induction' training on the Practice computer. A member of staff will need to brief me about in-house appointment procedures and other office details. (A list if internal phone numbers is essential). I'll schedule this induction time at no cost to you.

Rates of Pay

See Rates Information page

Mileage

I don't charge travel costs, but travel is tedious. I will give preference to work at Practices within 20 miles of my home.

Private/non–NHS work

Any Private Fees earned by me as a Locum will need to be paid additionally and separately. There are no rules about this matter, but of course the sums involved will be small and PMAR fees uncommon. For simplicity I suggest the entire fee is paid directly to me, and I will be responsible for Tax etc.

Cancellation

Bookings should not be cancelled by either party except by mutual agreement. Practices will find it difficult to obtain substitute cover, and patients will be inconvenienced by enforced surgery cancellations. By the same token, the Locum will have difficulty in replacing sessions cancelled at short notice.

Cancellation Fee

Bookings cancelled at short notice will be subject to a cancellation fee. Cancellation up to 21 days before the booked date will require a fee of 80% of the payment agreed, and between 21 and 42 days before the booked date a fee of 40% will apply. (For the purpose of calculating a cancellation fee the payment agreed will usually be taken to mean the payment for booked surgery consultation work, and additional duty cover if any, and not the payment for extra items, e.g. visits, that may not 'on the day' apply).

Surcharge for late payments

A surcharge of 10% of the total payment due for work done will apply to late payments. Payment should be by cheque and the date of payment will be taken to be the date of the postmark of the letter containing payment. Payment may be made at the end of a calendar month, and in any event no later than five weeks after the last booked day worked. For Locum attachments lasting longer than four weeks payment should be made at the end of each calendar month during the working period, with the final payment due as noted above.

Late Payment Legislation applies:
http://www.payontime.co.uk/legislation/legislation_main.html