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Psychiatry Agency Locums

Reference: 24-25358

Date response sent: 22/11/2024

Details of enquiry

In relation to your supply of locum Psychiatrists for each grade and sub-specialty per month, please could you provide the answers to the requests below for the following periods?

i. Financial year 2022/2023

ii. Financial year 2023/2024

iii. April – September 2024

  1. Please confirm the total number of vacancy requirements given out to framework and non-framework agencies for each agency
  2. Please confirm the total number of shifts given out to framework and non-framework agencies for each agency
  3. Please confirm the total number of agency locum doctors working per month, for each agency supplier divided between on and off framework.
  4. Please confirm the total number of hours worked by agency locum doctors per month, for each agency supplier divided between on and off framework.
  5. Please confirm the total number of unfilled vacancies (excluding locum filled posts) per month.

Response sent

You might find it helpful to note that the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is not a hospital, it is a small specialist mental health Trust, which does not provide acute services, nor inpatient patient services, nor detention facilities, and does not have an A&E department.

We do not work shifts at this Trust, however we do provide shift cover for some local acute hospitals’ mental health services by the resident doctors at our Trust, (previously known as junior doctors) to supplement their rota working.

We would only hire locum doctors from an agency, when there is a gap in shifts which we are committed to fill but cannot otherwise fill, for which we are reimbursed in full by the relevant local acute Trust, ie the net hire costs for these shifts are nil to our Trust

 

  1. Please confirm the total number of vacancy requirements given out to framework and non-framework agencies for each agency

The Trust does not generally recruit agency doctors to fill locum positions, however we did engage one Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist doctor to cover for a Consultant taking up a leadership role. This one role was not on shift, but full time day-working at 40 hours/week.

  1. Please confirm the total number of shifts given out to framework and non-framework agencies for each agency

Pulse Healthcare Limited.  On-framework

We do not hold our data in shifts as our records are based on agency invoices.  We can confirm that the on-call shifts are either 16hours overnight, or 24 hours at weekends.

 

  1. Please confirm the total number of agency locum doctors working per month, for each agency supplier divided between on and off framework.

Pulse Healthcare Ltd: Number of Locum doctors working per month:

Financial Year Apr May Jun July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Total
22/23 3 3 3 2 – 1 2 3 3 3 3 2 28
23/24 4 3 4 4 3 – 2 1 3 1 1 1 27
24/25 – 2 3 4 5 9

 

  1. Please confirm the total number of hours worked by agency locum doctors per month, for each agency supplier divided between on and off framework.

Pulse Healthcare Ltd: Total hours worked by Locum doctors per month:

Financial Year Apr May Jun July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Total
22/23 260 235 202 191.5 – 106.5 208 296 184 180 181 182 2,226
23/24 294 155 253.5 376 45 – 32 26 128 12 64 12 1,397.5
24/25 – 176 56 64 52 348

 

  1. Please confirm the total number of unfilled vacancies (excluding locum filled posts) per month.

Nil – please refer to our explanation at Q1 above

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