It is well known that many doctors choose Dorset as a place to settle because of the great work/life balance on offer here. As a result, a sizeable minority of the Dorset GP community work as locums, some part time, some full time and some as part of a ‘portfolio’ career.

This page provides links to local and national resources for the locum doctor, and gives advice on fulfilling the requirements required to be a locum GP in Dorset. (Correct as of December 2010). It is not an exhaustive resource but should point you in the right direction!

Have I got my CCT?

A formality for most; you should receive your CCT very shortly after completing GP training. See www.rcgp.org.uk/gp_training/certification/cct.aspx for more information.

Am I on the Performers List locally?

The contact for all GPs working in Dorset is:

Mrs Merita Theobald
Contracts Manager
Victoria House
Princes Road
Ferndown
BH22 9JR
01202 851291 (direct line)
merita.theobald@ferndown.nhs.uk

Do I have the appropriate medical indemnity cover?

Arrange this through your indemnity provider; for most the MDU or the MPS.

Have I registered as self-employed and have I thought about tax?

As a locum doctor, whether exclusively or as part of a portfolio of jobs, you will need to declare yourself as self employed and consequently make arrangements for paying your own tax. Taxation for the self-employed is complex, and beyond the scope of this document but there are broadly two approaches (see below). Suffice to say, whichever approach you decide on, keeping an accurate record of hours worked, invoices issued and paid, receipts and a mileage log is essential for any self-employed doctor.

- Self assessment

For information about registering as self-employed and self-assessment tax returns see http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/

Robbie Coull’s book (details below) gives advice about managing your own taxation

- Get an accountant

If you are less money savvy, it might be better to pay an accountant to do your taxes for you. Medical specialist accountants locally include:

www.davidridley.net/home.aspx

www.sandisons.net

However, many doctors use the services of non-specialist accountants instead.

Do I want to do any Out of Hours work?

This is organised centrally through the Dorset Emergency Care Service (DECS). Ellenor Peaty or her team, on 01202 851332 or ellenor.peaty@swast.nhs.uk should be your first point of contact.

Do I know which pension forms I need to complete?

In order to take advantage of the NHS pension scheme, considered by most to represent better value than most private pension schemes, locum forms A and B need to be completed and sent off to the pensions officer (details below). Completion of the forms is not that onerous, particularly if you use the Locum Organiser website (see link below) which fills them in automatically once you’re registered on the site.

Locum form ‘A’ which needs to be completed for EVERY payment in a given month, is relatively self explanatory and because half of it is filled in by the practice manager he or she should be able to answer any queries.

Locum form ‘B’ causes more headaches, and for this reason I’ve included an annotated form below which should allow you to complete the form accurately!

Pension forms – and more information - are available through http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/2668.aspx - scroll down to ‘GP forms’ for forms A & B. The forms are also available on this site.

Note in Dorset that although there are 2 PCTs (Poole and Bournemouth, and Dorset) ALL cheques should be made payable to Dorset PCT and sent to the pensions officer.

The pensions officer for Dorset is:

Mrs Laurna Stewart
Senior Finance Officer
Finance Section
Dorset Family Health Services Agency
Victoria House
Princes Road
Ferndown
BH22 9JR
01202 851235 (direct line)
laurna.stewart@dorset-pct.nhs.uk

Also note that there is a 10 week window from the date of the work done to get forms A and B in; beyond this the PCT is not obliged to honour the pension payment.

Getting work

- Locum organiser – https://www.locumorganiser.com

A fantastic, and at present, free, site that allows practices to search for available doctors locally. It also provides an online bookable calendar and can be customized to provide invoices and pension forms.

- Wessex doc - http://www.wessexdoc.co.uk/index.html

A local locum agency, covering the Poole/Bournemouth area, with an innovative, personal service. Charges commission on a percentage basis.

- Word of mouth counts for a lot too; many of the practice managers and GP principles will ask for informal feedback when looking for locums, so be nice to everyone!

Staying up-to-date

- For a very reasonable subscription fee, Wessex GPs can sign up to WGPET which coordinates and funds local educational events, organised by GP tutors - http://www.wgpet.co.uk/

- Contact your local hospital’s postgraduate centre for information of other events locally.

- There are a number of active sessional GP groups, but only some are open to new members. See www.nasgp.org.uk for contact details of some local groups.

Appraisal/Revalidation

- This is very much a requirement of locum doctors. See http://www.rcgp.org.uk/_revalidation.aspx or http://www.wessexlmcs.com/revalidation_a_practical_guide.html for the latest guidance.

Miscellaneous resources

- Wessex deanery has an enthusiastic and dynamic LMC which has lots of clinical and administrative guidance documents. See www.wessexlmcs.com

- A good general guide to locum work, and a text-based locum contact service. Robbie Coull’s book, ‘The Locum Doctor Survival Guide’ is also available through the site - www.locum123.com