According to new data, GP locum day rates have decreased in the past 12 months
Average GP locum day rates in England have fallen by 2.5% – the first drop since 2020, latest figures show.
Fees range from an average of £600 to £800, figures compiled for Management in Practice also reveal.
Last year, average fees in some regions reached £850 and in 2022 the highest average daily rate peaked at £900 (see table below).
Since the figures provides are only regional averages, it means some locums will be on higher rates than shown and some lower. The figures also do not include locum pension contributions.
Out of the country’s 48 counties, average locum day rates for 2024 are highest in Cumbria, Dorset, East Sussex, Isle of Wight, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Wiltshire, and Tyne and Wear, where doctors are commanding fees of up to £800.
The lowest rates charged are in Gloucestershire, Greater London and Staffordshire where they start at £600. Meanwhile, in Merseyside, average daily fees are £630.
Last year, Cornwall was the highest charging area at £850 a day but the average there has decreased by 17.6% and now stands at £700.
Calculations show that median locum pay is at £714, down from £732 last year.
All the data is presented on our interactive map below so you can see the spread of pay rates and how much locum remuneration is in your local area.
Ash Higgs, MD of recruitment specialist MCG Healthcare said the general trend of a cut in GP locum pay rates compared with last year isn’t surprising given cost pressures.
He also warned that demand had waned since practices are increasingly using staff on the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) instead of GPs.
He told Management in Practice: ‘Budgets are being squeezed and often surgeries are unable to afford to use GPs. This means the sector finds itself in a contradictory position where there is a shortage of GPs and yet GPs are unable to find work.’
Mr Higgs said: ‘Overall, locum work across the UK is much quieter than it has been over the past seven to eight years and it looks likely that 2025 will remain the same without some huge changes implemented by the Government, including an increase to general practice funding.’
