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Employment of Locum and Casual Medical Officers

 

The following information in based on and consistent with the NSW Health Policy Directive PD2009_051 Locum Medical Officers – Employment and Management. This Policy Directive outlines the employment and management processes to be applied when engaging Locum and Casual Medical Officers.

Tools and contact details for further information are listed on this web page and a full copy of the policy can be found at the link above.

Abbreviated Definitions (see page 2 of the Policy Directive for further details)
Casual Medical Officer –the Casual Medical Officer is employed directly by HNE Health and registered with the Staffing Service ‘Casual Medical Pool’ for the purposes of notification and booking of casual work.

Casual Medical Pool – pool of Casual Medical Officers who may be engaged on an hourly basis for a per iod which does not extend beyond one week, to provide services related to the unexpected absence of temporary, permanent or exempt employees; or periods of unanticipated demands.

Locum Medical Officer - provides services in a casual or temporary capacity to provide cover when shifts are unable to be filled by overtime or Casual Medical Officers. The Locum Medical Officer is employed directly by HNE Health for the duration of the term of employment and notified by Staffing Services for the purposes of booking of casual work.

Staffing Service – This unit forms part of Workforce Development. The Staffing Service develops rosters in accordance with manager specifications and is responsible for managing and developing the relief workforce and pools of permanent relievers.

Principles
It is expected that all Locum Medical Officers are suitably skilled, experienced and qualified to fulfil the role they are engaged for; and that Locum Medical Officers are only utilised after the maximum, but appropriate rostering of all employees (including overtime) – permanent, temporary and casual. This includes exhausting all available suitably credentialed medical staff registered with the Casual Medical Pool.

The following principles apply to the engagement and use of Locum Medical Officers:

  • All shifts requiring a Locum Medical Officer will be managed through the Staffing Service and all Locum Medical Officers wishing to fill a shift will be engaged through the Staffing Service
  • All Locum Medical Officers will undergo a standardised credentialing process consistent with the NSW Heath Standards and Conditions which will allow the matching of locum Medical Officer skills and professional behaviours to the requirements of any shift
  • Remuneration of Locum Medical Officers will be in accordance with relevant NSW Health Policy Directives
  • All Locum Medical Officers are engaged on the basis of satisfactory performance

Tools for Managers

Before the Vacancy Occurs:

  • Each engaging unit must complete a Skills Order Form for each medical skills level required, e.g. Career Medical Officer In-Charge (CMO I/C) or Junior Medical Officer (JMO), or position that the department may require filling. This only needs to be undertaken Once for each medical skills level and forwarded to Staffing Service. 
  • The Credentialling of Locum Medical Officers tool can be used to help outline the unit’s requirements of each position. Note: under normal circumstances, Casual and Locums Medical Officers will have a minimum of Post Graduate Year 3 (PGY3)
  • Fact Sheet for Managers and Roster Coordinators

When the Vacancy Occurs:

  • Engaging a Locum Medical Officer must only occur in service critical areas and as a as a last resort.
  • All other options for ensuring appropriate medical coverage should be exhausted before filling a vacant shift with a Locum Medical Officer. Department Managers are required to contact  Acute Network Clinical Operations in all cases where the need for a Locum Medical Officer is identified as the necessary staff may be sourced from elsewhere within the hospital or HNE Health Casual Medical Pool. Department Managers should undertake the steps below when determining if  Locum Medical Officer is required:
    1. Consideration of whether the shift needs to be filled
    2. Ensuring that the roster has been reviewed, and that all Medical Officers participating in the roster have been properly rostered. (See: Considering Additional Shifts, Rostering and Hours Management and Risk Management)
    3. Ensuring that no other suitably credentialed Medical Officer is available through the Casual Medical Pool operated by the Staffing Service
      If all of these steps have been exhausted, and the shift remains unfilled, then the engaging Department/Unit may employ a Locum Medical Officer to fill the shift via the Staffing Service and specifying the experience and skill level that they require from the previously lodged Skills Order Forms.
Tools for Casual Medical Officers

Medical Officers currently employed by HNE Health may make themselves available to fill vacant shifts outside of their normal rostered duties/hours on a casual basis in other departments and facilities. Their first priority must be to be available for reasonable overtime in the facility or unit in which they are primarily employed. Medical Officer must consider the following hierarchy when considering working additional clinical shifts:

  1. the unit/department where they are allocated
  2. the hospital where they are allocated
  3. the clinical stream/network to which they are allocated (if applicable)
  4. other facilities within the same Public Health Organisation
  5. hospitals/facilities in another Public Health Organisation under Casual Medical Pool arrangements

A list of Medical Locum Agencies that have signed an agreement with HNE Health can be found HERE.

Medical Officers who wish to join the Casual Medical Pool should first read Considering Additional Shifts, Rostering & Hours Management and the Fact Sheet for Casual Medical Officers before making an application directly to the Staffing Service using the following documents:

Applicants currently employed by HNE Health must supply the following:

PLUS applicants not currently employed by HNE Health, must also supply the following:

PLUS Specialist and GP applicants must also complete the following:

Note: All Medical Officers prior to working in HNE Health must have the following:

  1. Working With Children Check (PD2008_029 Employment Screening Policy)
  2. Service Check Register clearance (PD2009_004 Service Check Register for NSW Health Services)
Tools for Medical Locum Agencies

To be eligible to supply Locum Medical Officers to HNE Health a Medical Locum Agency must be placed on the NSW Health Register of Medical Locum Agencies. Section 2.5.1 of the PD2009_051 Locum Medical Officers – Employment and Management refers. Medical Locum Agencies undertake to carry out documentation and engagement requirements outlined in Section 2.6. The following tools are provided for Agencies:

 

For Further Help and Advice Please Contact the Staffing Service on:

Phone: (02) 4924 2500, Option 1

Email: HNEStaffingService@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au

 

Postal Address:

HNE Staffing Service
PO Box 83,
Adamstown, 2289

 

 

Useful Links

Back to Staffing Service Home Page.

 

 

This page was updated on 29 September 2009. If you have any comments regarding this page please contact Staffing Service.

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