Table 1.
The reasons trusts need to use locums
| Often | Sometimes | Rarely | Never | χ2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trust type‡ | |||||
| Because of difficulties recruiting doctors | 69 (71.1) | 21 (21.7) | 6 (6.2) | 1 (1.0) | 2.25 |
| Because of difficulties retaining doctors | 12 (12.4) | 38 (39.2) | 39 (40.2) | 8 (8.3) | 1.12 |
| To cover planned medical workforce gaps e.g. maternity/paternity leave, holiday or sabbatical | 28 (28.9) | 52 (53.6) | 15 (15.5) | 2 (2.1) | 6.88* |
| To cover absences due to short term ill-health | 43 (44.3) | 31 (32.0) | 22 (22.7) | 1 (1.0) | 8.20* |
| To cover absences due to long-term ill-health | 25 (25.8) | 50 (51.6) | 20 (20.6) | 2 (2.1) | 4.03 |
| To provide additional capacity to meet demand or need | 34 (35.1) | 38 (39.2) | 21 (21.7) | 4 (4.1) | 16.40** |
N = 97. Data is presented as frequency (%). ‡df = 2, *p < .05, **p < .001