Working for Trusts to make a difference

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contact.medicallocums@hscni.net

028 3756 4280

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a userguide available for the eLocum system?

Yes, Click here to download the eLocum userguide for Doctors in PDF format.

I don’t currently work for the HSC in Northern Ireland – can I still apply to HSC e-Locums?

At present we are currently only processing applications from Doctors who are employed by the HSCNI either through NIMDTA or directly through the Trust. However, if you are neither of those you can still submit an application, it will be kept on file until we rollout to external applicants.

I am a Consultant/SAS Doctor, can I apply to HSC e-Locums?

Any Grade of Doctor can apply to HSC e-Locums, however we are only using the system to fill Junior Doctor rotas at present. If you work a shift on a Junior Doctor rota, you will normally be paid the Junior Doctors rates of pay.

What checks will be carried out as part of the registration/application process?

For applicants currently employed by the HSCNI, we will only need to complete verification checks, rather than pre-employment checks, such as:

- Verification of information provided on your application form;
- Verification of Identity;
- Verification of a satisfactory Pre-Employment Health Assessment;
- Verification of Eligibility to work in the UK;
- Verification of a completed Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI;
- Reference checks;
- GMC Registration & Licence to Practice check;
- Completion of Mandatory Training Requirement checks

We will contact your HSC employer for verification that these checks have been satisfactorily completed.

Other agencies claim to be the top Locum providers in Northern Ireland, why should I join HSC e-Locums?

HSC e-Locums is a regional system owned by all 5 Trusts in Northern Ireland. It is the first port of call for all available locums shifts in the HSCNI therefore by joining HSC e-Locums you will have ‘first pick’ of all available shifts needing locum cover within the HSCNI.

Joining HSC e-Locums will enable you to work additional shifts within the Trusts of your choice, enabling you to earn extra income and build on your experience and will give you access to an unrivalled range of opportunities in the area, specialism and level that suits you best, in accordance with the EWTD and New Deal controls on hours.

You will be offered locums shifts in line with your preferences using text and email notifications and will be paid promptly for work undertaken at competitive rates of pay. Through HSC e-Locums you will have a central record of your locum service within HSCNI .

Working for HSC e-Locums means you are making a difference by contributing to your local HSCNI.

What are the rates of pay for locum shifts?

All payments will be made in accordance with the regionally agreed rates. Please click here to view HSC eLocum Rates of Pay

Does HSC e-Locums pay Monthly or Weekly for Locum Shifts?

Presently this will depend on which Trust you carry out the locum work for:
- Belfast, Northern, Southern & South Eastern Trusts pay weekly.
- Western Trust pay monthly.

The Belfast, Northern, Southern, South Eastern Trusts pay WEEKLY and will make payment to you in the next available pay week following submission of your claim via HSC e-Locums to Payroll Shared Services. Doctors should note that the first payment may take up to one month for administrative reasons, however thereafter all payments will be received in the next available pay week.

The Western Trustwill make payment to you in the next available pay month following submission of your claim to the payroll Department. It is therefore important that you submit your claim promptly on completion of your shift.

How do I claim for payment for locum work undertaken through HSC e-Locums?

The HSC e-locum payment process is paper free processed through the system – there are 2 ways you can process your claim for payment:

- Verify your shift – Once you have completed your shift you must log in and verify that this has been worked. You must also check the shift details are correct. You will find your worked shifts under “Shift Require Verification” in the Shift Summary Section of your Dashboard.

- Claim Retrospectively – if your shift has not been booked via the system you will then need to claim retrospectively for this shift rather than verify shift details. You must register on HSC e-locums to do this. You can claim for a shift retrospectively under the “Your Claims” section of your Dashboard.

Please ensure that you only claim once for each shift EITHER by submitting a retrospective claim or by verifying then shift worked.

To claim for payment you must register with HSC e-locums (when registered on HSC e-locums. You can choose not to receive shift notifications if you so wish).

Keeping your personal details with the trusts up to date (address & bank details)

When you undertake locum work through HSC eLocums, you will be given a new staff number for each Trust where you undertake the locum work. Therefore it is important to keep your personal details i.e. bank details and home address, up to date for each staff number.

There are different ways to do this:
- If you have access to HRPTS Employee Self Service (ESS) you can update your address and bank details through this – please note you will have a different username for each staff number that you hold if your Trust has provided ESS access to you as a locum (this will not be the case in all Trusts).

- If you do not have access to HRPTS:
To update your bank details contact Payroll on Payroll.ssc@hscni.net or telephone 028 9536 2190 select option 4.

To update you home address send your relevant Medical HR details Click here for Contact Details.

I haven’t received payment for a shift I booked through HSC e-Locums, how can I investigate this?

If this is the first time you have worked a shift with HSC e-Locums please be aware that the first payment in each Trust may take up to one month for administrative reasons, however thereafter all payments will be received in the next available pay week/month.

If you have any further queries please visit our contact page for the appropriate contact option.

How do I join HSC eLocums?

To be registered for work on HSC eLocums, simply create an elocum account with your name and email address, and then proceed with the registration process by completing an online application. To help speed this process up you can also use the CV upload service, where we can then assist you in completing your application Click here to register now

During the registration process you will be asked to provide:
- Personal details,
- Your employment history
- Appropriate referees who can validate your work history,
- Skills and experience
- You preferences for work.

Once you are ‘live on the system’ you can use the system to receive shift notification and/or use of for the purposes of submitting an online claim for a shift worked.

I don’t have time to complete an application form, can I get help with this?

Yes we can help you to complete your application form for HSC eLocums, simply create an account and then upload your CV from your dashboard, then we can assist you with completing this Click here to register now
During the registration phase you will be asked to provide:
- Personal details,
- Your employment history
- Appropriate referees who can validate your work history,
- Skills and experience
- You preferences for work.

Once you are ‘live on the system’ you can use the system to receive shift notification and/or use of for the purposes of submitting an online claim for a shift worked.

I started my application form but have not completed this, can I get help with this?

What happens after I submit my application?

There is no need for interview, however once you have submitted your registration details, a number of safeguarding and verification checks will be carried out. These are akin to the types of checks carried out on accepting any regular post in the HSC. This overall process will take in or around 2 weeks to complete. Only when this is completed will your registration ‘go live’ on the system.

You will be able to keep a track of progress on the system by logging in to check your registration status. You will also receive an email confirmation from the system when the checks are complete and your registration is live.

What safeguarding and verification checks will be carried out?

For applicants currently employed by the HSCNI, the following safeguarding and verification checks will be carried out:

- Verification of information provided on your application form;
- Verification of Identity;
- Verification of a satisfactory Pre-Employment Health Assessment;
- Verification of Eligibility to work in the UK;
- Verification of a completed Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI;
- Reference checks;
- GMC Registration & Licence to Practice check;
- Completion of Mandatory Training Requirement checks.

How to maintain your personal/employment details and work preferences

Once you are registered on the system you will be able to update your profile at any time, this includes being able to update your personal details / employment history as well as your work preferences.

You can amend your preferences easily under the “Invitation Preferences” section of your Dashboard.

What if my availability changes or I no longer wish to undertake locum work?

It may be that your circumstances could change and either for a short period of time or possibly for the foreseeable future you may not wish to undertake locum work, or maybe you only wish to use the system for payment purposes.
You can either:

- Keep you notifications turned on but choose not to respond eg If you are not available for short periods of time (one month or less) perhaps due to holidays or other personal circumstances then you do not need to do anything. You will continue to receive text invitations but you can choose not to respond.
- Turn your notifications off via your dashboard –if your circumstances change and you then want to receive notifications in the future then you can simply turn these on, again via your dashboard.
- Update your preferences for work – shift notifications are derived from your employment record on your HSC eLocum application form. Therefore to ensure that you are getting notifications about shifts that interest you, rather than lots of notifications, please ensure you keep your preferences for work updated in terms of location, grade and specialty. You can update your availability against each employment record to reflect your interest/availability at this level/specialty.
- Contact us to de-activate your HSC eLocum account - If you no longer wish to undertake locum work for HSC eLocums we can remove your name from the system. To de-activate your account you will need to contact the System Administrator on contact.medicallocums@hscni.net. If you decide in the future you wish to re-join HSC eLocums, please contact us.

I am not interested in receiving shift invites from HSC elocums, but I need to use the system for payment purposes, how do I do this?

You can use HSC elocums to receive shift notifdicaions and / or to submit online claims for payment for shifts worked.

Regardless of how you want to use the system you will need to complete the registration process ie create an eLocum account and application. Once you have completed the registeration process, all you need to do is turn off shift notifications via your dashboard.

If you change you mind and wish to start receiving shift invites in the future,you can then easily turn these back on. You will also need to remember to update your preferences for work via your employment record.

Can I update my profile?

Once you are registered on the system you will be able to update your profile at any time. This will allow you to update your personal details / employment history as well as your work preferences.

As the system will operate on the basis of the information you have provided it is vital that you keep your profile updated including your contact details, mobile phone number, and your work preferences. Any updates to your employment history will be verified each time. If this update means you are now eligible to work at a higher level or in a different speciality and you have indicated that you wish to be contacted about such work this too will require verification before you will be live for the newly requested areas or levels of locum work. In the interim however, you will be able to continue to pick up shifts for the levels you are already cleared to work at. If you simply want to update the locations that you are willing to accept shifts from then your record will be updated instantaneously.

Why do I need to maintain/update my HSC e-locum profile?

The system operates on the basis of the information you have provided, therefore it is vital that you keep your profile updated including your contact details, mobile phone number and your work preferences in terms of the geographical location and specialty areas you are prepared/qualified to work in up to date. This is your responsibility. The HSC cannot accept any responsibility for your failure to pick up work due to incorrect information.

Any updates to your employment history will be verified each time. If this update means you are now eligible to work at a higher level or in a different specialty and you have indicated that you wish to be contacted about such work this too will require verification before you will be live for the newly requested areas or levels of locum work. In the interim however, you will be able to continue to pick up shifts for the levels you are already cleared to work at.

If you simply want to update the locations that you are willing to accept, or not accept shifts from then your record will be updated instantaneously.
The table below shows a summary of verification checks to be completed following a change in your profile

Area	Details
Employment details	You will remain in service for details previously verified but will not recieve shift invites against new details until these are verified. Updates to an employment record will lock out invites from this grade until re-verified.
Personal Details	No verification required
GMC Registration	Updating these details will then require verification, you will not recieve shift invites until verification takes place.
Training	No verification required
Membership Details	No verification required
Medical History	Adding a new record or Updating a record will then require verification, you will not recieve shift invites until verification takes place.
Disability Information	No verification required
ANI Check	If you are charged with or convicted with any offences or have any charges pending you MUST declare this immediately. The circumstances will dictate whether or not you are locked out of the system until further review is undertaken.
References	You should ensure your references can verify your most recently added employment record.
Fitness to Practice	Updating these details will then require verification, you will not recieve shift invites until verification takes place.

Maintaining your GMC registration/Licence to Practise

You are required to maintain your GMC registration and license to practice to allow you to continue practicing as a medical locum. Any change in your registration status MUST be reported immediately through the updating of your profile on the system.

Failure to do this WILL result in the HSC immediately withdrawing you from live registration on the HSC e-locum system until a full investigation is completed.

Revalidation of locum doctors

Guidance for helping Doctors identify their prescribed connection for revalidation can be found on the GMC website http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/revalidation/designated_body_tool.asp

Doctors are required to confirm their designated body by going to their GMC Online account.

Doctors undertaking locum work through HSC eLocums must advise HSC elocums if there is any change in their designated body/responsible officer.

Mandatory Training

All persons registered on HSC e-locums have a responsibility to ensure that they are up to date on all mandatory training.

Performance

All medical professionals are required to abide by the GMC regulations on Good Medical Practice. Supervising Consultants are responsible for confirming at the end of each shift undertaken that the individual’s performance was satisfactory. The employing Trust should ensure that appropriate feedback is provided on a locum doctor’s assignment when it is concluded.

Assessing the performance of locum doctors is an important element in ensuring patient safety. Locum doctors will be advised by the respective Trust Administrator if a supervising consultant reports any concerns regarding their clinical performance or conduct. In these circumstances the respective Trust Administrator will raise the matter with the Trusts Medical HR team and notify the System Administrator. As a precautionary safeguard, the System Administrator will put an immediate suspension on the person’s registration for HSC e-Locums pending advice from the Medical HR Team. The individual doctor will be advised and their comments and views sought which will also be considered in evaluating if further action is necessary.

The Trusts Medical HR Team in collaboration with the relevant clinical manager will undertake preliminary enquiries if required, in line with the Maintaining High Professional Standards Framework. The purpose of this will be to verify or refute the substance and accuracy of any concerns or complaints and assess the seriousness of the issues on the information available. Where significant shortcomings are identified and it is not possible to conclude performance proceedings due to a locum assignment finishing, the employing Trust will be responsible for making a judgment based on the evidence available as to whether allegations are upheld and take the necessary appropriate action such as (in cases of doctors currently in training), informing the postgraduate dean and/or if appropriate their substantive employer. In addition, the employing Trust will be required to report any serious issue or concern to the GMC and, where appropriate, under the alert notice system.

European Working Time Directive

All persons registered on HSC e-Locums have a responsibility to ensure that they are not in breach of their obligations under the EWTD. In undertaking additional hours, doctors understand that unless they agree otherwise, Regulation 4(1) of the Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 limits the average number of hours they work each week to 48 hours, as calculated over a reference period of 26 weeks. Doctors should be aware that if by undertaking additional locum work that this means that their average weekly hours exceed 48 then it is their responsibility to ensure that they complete a EWTD opt-out form. All persons who hold an EWTD opt-out form should understand that there is no opt-out from the rest and leave requirements of the EWTD.

By accepting additional work for any HSC body, doctors are confirming that in doing so that the additional hours do not conflict with:

a) their personal health and safety,
b) their fitness to practice
c) the interests of both their substantive and locum employer,
d) or with the rest requirements of the WTR

In addition doctors remain personally responsible for complying with the GMC’s ‘Good Medical Practice’ and that they are responsible for ensuring that they remain fit for work and do not put themselves or patients at risk. Doctors must not accept any extra hours that threaten safety.

Doctors should be aware that HSC employers are required to keep an up to date record of all workers who have opted out of the WTR and in order to facilitate this requirement doctors are required to keep a record of all additional locum hours worked, and if requested at any time, will produce the record to their substantive employer, the system administrator or to any Health and Safety Official.

New Deal Contract – Control of Hours

Despite agreeing to opt out of the 48 hour limit imposed by the EWTD, doctors should be aware that they are still bound to comply with the control of hours stipulated in paragraphs 20, 111a and 111b my Terms and Conditions of Service and in line with their Contract of Employment.