Day Lewis has amended its locum contract and online booking system in response to pharmacists' claims that the independent chain was driving a rates war.

Day Lewis has removed the rating system from its online booking scheme, it revealed this week, which asked locums to quote their "potential price" when it was introduced in May.   

It has also replaced its new locum contract with an NPA-recommended agreement and scrapped the requirement for locums to perform two MURs a day, director and superintendent pharmacist Peter Glover said.

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	The scheme was criticised in May by locums posting on the Locum Voice Forum that the chain was driving a rates war that was "tantamount to devaluing the system". Locum Voice founder Lindsey Gilpin told C+D at the time that the system was "driving down prices" rather than driving up standards.

The PDA Union subsequently raised concerns with Day Lewis that the booking system could have a detrimental impact on the quality of service delivery.

The PDA said it was fundamentally opposed to targeting MURs because it set a standard that was inappropriate. Locums might feel performing an MUR was not in the best interest of the patient and their ability to do them could be affected by footfall, it said.

The union also raised issues about the contract, calling for clarification of notice periods and that Day Lewis, rather than locums, would pay any agency introduction fees.

Day Lewis wrote to the PDA this week confirming the changes it was making in response to the concerns.

Day Lewis had locums that had been working for the chain for years and the chain was therefore "not in the market for upsetting them", Mr Glover told C+D this week. He said the company wanted a system that saved time and made booking and payments more efficient.

"Locum rates are dictated by market forces. Day Lewis's rates are set to be in the middle of the range of market forces that we are aware of," Mr Glover added.

Day Lewis pays an average £23 an hour to locums and £30 per hour on occasion, it told C+D.

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