Question 1

What services do Capital Locums offer?

Accepted Answer

Capital Locums recruits Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians and Dispensers. We are dedicated to Pharmacy and offer a personal service to all clients.

We recruit for companies large and small, offering tailored services to meet your needs.

Question 2

What areas do you offer locum work?

Accepted Answer

Capital Locums has an extensive client list throughout the South East of England, London, Home Counties and Channel Islands. We can also offer medium and long-term cover throughout the United Kingdom including the South West of England.

Question 3

What type of work do you offer?

Accepted Answer

Capital Locums offers locum, long-term and permanent placements.

Question 4

What are your office opening hours?

Accepted Answer

Our office is open Monday to Friday 08:00 to 17:30.
Call us on 0208 559 1011.
You can also contact us by e-mail at info@capitallocums.co.uk or by using our
online form.

Question 5

Do you offer an out of hours service?

Accepted Answer

We offer an out of hours service to all clients with confirmed bookings. Locums who need to contact us in an emergency can also use this service.

This service operates between 6am-10pm Mon-Fri, 7am-5pm Saturday and 9am-12pm Sunday. Please ring our office on 0208 559 1011 and listen to the message for the emergency number.

Question 6

How do I register?

Accepted Answer

All new candidates need to register via our website. The registration process will depend on whether you are a Pharmacist or Technician/Dispenser.

Question 7

How long will the registration process take to complete?

Accepted Answer

After you have registered on our website and we have received your required documents we will begin the registration process. We check a number of elements to make sure our clients are protected and this can take a number of days. Several factors, such as your referees replying to our requests can affect this timeline. We will contact you regularly during this process with an update.

Question 8

Do I need a visa to work?

Accepted Answer

All information can be obtained at https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa

Question 9

Do I need an Enhanced Disclosure DBS?

Accepted Answer

All Pharmacists need to have obtained an Enhanced Disclosure DBS in order to work via Capital Locums. Capital Locums will accept existing enhanced disclosures’ if you are on the update service - https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service - and can provide us with a copy of your certificate.

Dispenser and Technicians do not currently require a disclosure unless requested.

Question 10

How do I obtain an Enhanced Disclosure DBS?

Accepted Answer

If you do not already have an enhanced disclosure DBS or are not on the update service we can apply for an enhanced disclosure DBS on your behalf. We use https://www.ddc.uk.net to administer and complete all checks. If you wish to obtain a disclosure please contact us after you have completed the registration process on our website.

Question 11

How much does the Enhanced Disclosure cost?

Accepted Answer

All cost and additional information can be obtained at
https://www.ddc.uk.net/criminal-record-checks/dbs-check-costs.

Question 12

Do I need indemnity insurance?

Accepted Answer

We strongly recommend you have insurance but do not insist on this. Some of our clients will not accept locums who do not have insurance.

Question 13

Do I need to be Self Employed?

Accepted Answer

No, but you must be IR35 compliant. You will be responsible for your own Tax and National Insurance Contributions for any income gained from locum work. Our advice is to retain the services of an accountant who can better advise. More information of IR35 compliance can be found here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-off-payroll-working-ir35

Question 14

How do I update my availability?

Accepted Answer

Please send us an email to info@capitallocums.co.uk , or call us on 0208 559 1011 between 9am-5.30pm, Monday-Friday.

Question 15

How do I receive locum work once I am registered?

Accepted Answer

Once we confirm you are fully registered we will ask for your ongoing availability. We will then match locums to requirements that fill our clients criteria and your availability. We recommend you update your availability regularly to stand the best chance of receiving work.
Our recruitment team will contact you by phone, SMS or email with requirements.

Question 16

Will I be guaranteed work via Capital Locums?

Accepted Answer

Capital Locums cannot guarantee work. We have established a large customer base that we have built over our 30 plus years of business. This enables us to offer plenty of work from our extensive customer database to many locums every day.

Question 17

What rates should I expect?

Accepted Answer

Rates are varied but we at Capital Locums try and offer competitive rates. Many variables affect the rate offered but we try and negotiate a realistic hourly charge of pay for our locums. We do not claim to offer exaggerated rates of pay that no proprietor or customer will meet. We also request that our locums are paid a fair rate by our customers.

Question 18

Will my expenses be paid?

Accepted Answer

Expenses are different on every booking. Please ask prior to confirmation if you require any details.

Question 19

How will I know if a placement is confirmed?

Accepted Answer

We will contact you with an offer prior to booking. We will answer any queries you have before confirmation is made. You will always receive a confirmation via email once all parties have confirmed. If you accept a booking we are very reluctant to make cancellations.

Question 20

How will I get paid?

Accepted Answer

Clients will pay you directly in the majority of cases. Capital Locums will do our best to assist in cases of disagreement or non-payment.

It is important to keep an accurate log of your work and leave an invoice or claim form at each assignment. Please feel free to contact us if you require any information about a specific client. As a first instance we recommend you contact the client to chase payment. Please leave a minimum of two weeks before contacting us about late payment.

Question 21

What happens if I need to cancel a booking?

Accepted Answer

Although we understand that some circumstances are outside of your control, we ask that you give us as much notice as possible of any cancellation. Please request any information you require prior to confirmation as we are reluctant to make cancellations once a booking is confirmed. It is important you contact us on 0208 559 1011 or via our emergency service. Please leave a clear detailed message including a return number and the shift you wish to cancel.

Locums who regularly cancel will see work opportunities reduced.

Question 22

What happens if I am running late?

Accepted Answer

Please ring us on 0208 559 1011 as soon as you think you will be late. We will then contact our client directly on your behalf. We keep a record of poor timekeeping and locums who are regularly late will see opportunities for work reduced.

Question 23

What should I do if I am offered further dates whilst working via Capital Locums?

Accepted Answer

If you are available please feel free to accept the placement. You are obligated under our terms and conditions to inform Capital Locums of any repeat bookings made with customers. We are very strict and deal with any noncompliance of this as a breach of our terms and conditions.

Question 24

Can I work for other Agencies and Pharmacies?

Accepted Answer

You are able to work for other agencies and pharmacies. You must however always inform us if you return to a pharmacy or company we have previously sent you to, as stated in our terms and conditions.

FAQs