Locum Optometrists In The UK Need This! But... Nobody Has Yet To Do It.

Locums: We're Just Another Number Until... You Get Rated

In the world of locum work, we often find ourselves as mere placeholders, filling shifts without much recognition or negotiation power. If you've been following the series, you're familiar with the four financial black holes: the NHS budget, the miserly stores, your own lack of urgency, and parasitic agency practices. However, the most significant issue is our generic status. We are just bodies to fill slots, which strips us of any negotiating power.

The Death of the Generic Locum, The Birth Of Fair Work

Locum apps and agencies often treat us as line items. They don't market our skills, efficiency, or reputation—they market our availability. This approach means our rates are always at the mercy of the next person willing to work for less. The moment we become replaceable, we become underpaid.

Imagine a platform—a Glassdoor for Locums—where we are more than just ID numbers. This could revolutionize the system:

• Public Profiles and Ratings: We would have public profiles with verifiable ratings and clear KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Our excellent service would be documented and rewarded. This is a significant improvement from the current scenario where locum #2961 pleads for a £20 shift increase, only for the company to give the shift to locum #9046 for less.
• Data-Driven Negotiation: Negotiations would be based on data, not sentiment. A store reviewing your 5-star profile, £100 AOV, and perfect KPIs would have no leverage to undercut you if the competing locum has a 3.2-star rating and an AOV of £78 per patient.
• Setting Your Value: With an established reputation, you wouldn't be begging for a rate; you'd be commanding one. The store would need you, not just any locum.

Demanding Transparency

The current system thrives on opacity and the anonymity of locums. They prefer us to be numbers, easily manipulated. Until we create a platform where our professional reputation is our currency, we remain complicit in our exploitation.

Do you agree? Is this a good idea? If so, let's make it happen!