The average hourly pay rate for locum pharmacists in England has dropped almost 12% over the past year, new data has today (October 7) revealed.
Analysis of over 200,000 pharmacy locum shifts by Locate a Locum, published in business property adviser Christie & Co’s annual market review, found that the average locum rate in England declined by 11.9% to just £30.55 between June 2024 and July this year.
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Locum rates decreased by an average of 5.5% across the four nations of the UK over the same period, with the combined UK average hourly rate now standing at £32.67, the report said.
“It is hoped that this will provide some respite to the employment challenges the sector has seen,” it added.
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The data also showed that the average hourly locum rate in Scotland fell 9.1% to £35.80, while the rate in Wales dropped 2.2% to £36.29.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland was the only UK country whose rate rose overall, with an increase of 5% taking the average rate to £28.05 per hour.
By city
England was home to the lowest recorded hourly rate of any UK city, the report said, with locums in London earning an average of just £25.38 per hour - a 6.6% decline on the previous year.
Inverness was the city with the highest average rate for the second year in a row, at £44.29 per hour despite a 6.7% decrease compared to 2024.
Locums in Plymouth earned the most in England, averaging £37.51, while Swansea had the highest rate in Wales at £36.51 and Londonderry had the highest rate in Northern Ireland at £31.04.
Read more: ‘Almost impossible to earn a living’: Locums take second jobs
The worst hourly rate in Scotland belonged to Glasgow, where locums earned an average of £32.60, while Wales’ worst rate was found in Wrexham, where the average was £33.07.
Belfast had the lowest rate among Northern Ireland’s cities, with the average locum earning just £29.15 per hour.
Read more: ‘Respite to employment challenges’: Average UK locum rate nosedives 10% in a year
Locate a Locum chief executive Jonathon Clarke said that the “expanding need for service provision continues to influence locum rates”.
“Locum rates are always a reflection of a pharmacist’s expertise and accreditations, alongside the principles of supply and demand,” he added.
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It comes after the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) warned in February that it is becoming “impossible” for Scottish locum pharmacists to make ends meet by locuming alone.
PDA members in Scotland said at the time that for locums in the region, “a second job was required”.
“Problems included few shifts, very low rates and long travelling distances,” the PDA added.
Read more: At a glance: How do locum rates vary across Great Britain?
And last year, data from Locate a Locum revealed that “average locum rates decreased across all four country regions” between June 2023 and July 2024.
The analysis, published in Christie & Co’s market review for 2024, said that over the year, average hourly locum rates dropped by 6.7% in England down to £34.67 and 6.8% in Northern Ireland down to £26.71.
In Wales, the average rate dipped by some 12.9% to £37.12 over the period, while locums in Scotland saw the biggest decrease in their wages of 13.2% to £39.37 per hour, it added.
