In a note to Asda staff – seen by C+D – the supermarket said that as of this month, locum shifts in England and Wales will be advertised at the rate of £20-per-hour from Monday to Saturday.

It has also introduced an “enhanced rate reward” of £21-per-hour for locums working from Monday to Saturday who complete two or more MURs during their shift, the supermarket said in the note.

Locums will be paid £21-per-hour on Sundays and bank holidays “in recognition of the reduced shift length and reduced opportunity to provide this service”, Asda added.

The supermarket did not confirm what its previous locum rates were.

C+D’s latest Salary Survey – which ran throughout October 2017 – showed that the average hourly rate for locums across the UK was £20.84, an increase of 34p-per-hour on the average for 2015.