Vol. 3 No. 1 2009

In the last edition, Your Practice reported on independent research conducted by the National Association of Sessional GPs (NASGP), which showed that there are no official statistics on the number of locums in the UK. Comparing statistics indicates that more than 15,000 locum GPs are unaccounted for.

Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chairman, has campaigned for locums’ rights for more than a decade. He argues that the government cannot educate practices about the needs of locums because it does not have sufficient data on them. In his article on page 9, he argues that this is part of a system of enforced underperformance that is putting patients at risk. The relationship between locums and practices is explored in more depth by Dr Judith Harvey on pages 6–8. She explores the many dimensions that encompass the locum’s role, from the management consultant to the archaeologist.

Another factor that is crucial to the success of the practice machine is staying on top of the latest guidance. Check that your practice is up-to-date on all of last year’s guidance, by reading our review of the medical highlights of 2008, on pages 10–11. There is also a section on what to look out for in 2009, from the results of the GP survey to the next MPS GP conference – it looks set to be another busy year.

Dr Richard Stacey, Editor-in-Chief