The New Way to Find Locum Work in 2023

More doctors than ever before are looking to step off the treadmill of training to explore more diverse careers and work more flexibly.

It’s well reported that two-thirds of F2s will now take an F3 year rather than go straight into a training programme. Most will look to locum work to take back some control over their time and increase their income.

This has been building momentum due to the long-running disputes around pay and contracts, and recently exacerbated by the pressures of COVID.

In 2019, the Messly team started asking doctors about their experiences of finding locum work. We found that the results were mostly negative 👎

Those just starting out with locuming said that finding locum work can feel confusing and frustrating. Many are too daunted or nervous to get started.

Here’s a common story that we heard: You pick a locum agency, often almost randomly, and take the time to get registered. You’re hoping that they're the right one for you, but too often it just doesn’t work out. You feel tied in, and then end up taking whatever shifts they can get you.

Locum doctors have a constant worry that they’re missing out on better paid, more rewarding, or more convenient locum work.

The root cause of this is the opaque, confusing and frustrating way that locum work is arranged in the NHS. There is a plethora of staff banks, each with their own processes,  and hundreds of locum agencies of varying quality and reliability.

Does this sound familiar?

Helping doctors find locum work

So, we decided to build a better way for doctors to find locum work 🚀

Launched in 2020, Messly’s app is a faster, simpler and more transparent way to find locum work, that has become THE way that doctors find locums.

You find the best paid, most rewarding and most convenient locums by making the best locum agencies compete to find you work.

We’ve chosen just the most reputable locum agencies, who get regular access to the best shifts, and we make them pitch you through the app on why they're the best agency to meet your needs.

It’s been called Tinder for Locums… 💘

You get access to locum work from all the best agencies, at your fingertips. That means you’re likely to get better rates, less travel and your pick of departments.

Since we launched we’ve helped over 7,000 doctors find locum work - from F2s all the way to experienced Consultants and GPs. And we’re proud to have 100s of amazing reviews from doctors on TrustPilot.

How it Works

1️⃣   Step 1: Tell us what you want

First, you create your profile in the Messly app. This says exactly what kind of locum work you want - what rates you expect, how far you’ll travel, if you’ll do anti-social hours, and more.

It takes a few minutes, you can do it from a computer or phone, and it’s completely free. At this point you’re still anonymous.

2️⃣   Step 2: Receive locum jobs from agencies

You’ll then receive offers for locum work from the best locum agencies. Most doctors get multiple messages the same day they register.

You see real locum jobs, with hospital details, rates, rotas and travel times from your time - all matched specifically to your wishlist.

You review these within the app, comparing rates and travel distances and reading the recruiters’ pitches to you.

Since January 2021, over 43,000 individual locum jobs have been offered to doctors on Messly. So we’re bringing almost the entire locum market to you, on your phone, in a way that’s convenient and easy.

You can also see ratings of these locum agencies, written by doctors, so you know who you’ll be working with. We also have a very strict code of conduct, so any agencies reported to be ‘playing games’ get blocked or banned. So you know you’re dealing with only the best and most trust-worthy agencies.

3️⃣   Step 3: We help you to start work

If you see some work you like, you can then schedule a convenient time to speak to the agency. Only then do you share your contact information, and only ever with the agencies that you’ve selected.

If you’d like to get registered with agencies, you can use the Docs feature in the app to gather up your registration documents like your CV, certificates and referee details. You can then share these with your chosen agencies in one click.

The Messly team is on standby throughout to help if you have any questions or are unsure about anything.

Anytime you want to stop your locum search, there’s one switch to flick and your profile goes private. It's one of the many reasons why we're better than working agencies directly, you can find out more about this here.

Getting Started

If you’d like to check it out, click here to read more or enter your GMC number here to get started.

We're confident that, by giving you choice, control and by putting the power in your hands, you will get what you're looking for from your time as a locum doctor.

And longer time, we hope that by helping doctors that want work more flexibly and to continue delivering care in the NHS, we will help to create a more fulfilled medical workforce.