The Real Cost of Locum Turnover

When a pharmacy books a different locum every week, the cost isn't always obvious.

There's no separate line on an invoice for it. But over time, constantly starting from scratch with unfamiliar cover adds up in ways that are easy to underestimate.

The obvious cost: time

Every new locum needs a degree of orientation; where things are kept, how the team likes to work, which processes are slightly different from the last pharmacy they covered.

A familiar locum skips most of this. A new one doesn't.

Multiply that across a busy week, and the hours spent re-explaining basics start to add up.

The less obvious cost: pressure on the team

When cover is unfamiliar, the rest of the pharmacy team often ends up doing more; answering questions, double-checking work, and generally keeping a closer eye on how the shift is going than they would with someone they already trust. That's not a criticism of any individual locum; it's simply what happens when familiarity is missing. Over time, this adds a quiet but real strain on permanent staff.

The harder-to-measure cost: continuity for patients

Patients notice when the person behind the counter changes every week. Regular locums build the kind of familiarity with a pharmacy's patient base that improves the day-to-day experience; recognising regulars, understanding common queries, and fitting into the rhythm of how a branch operates. High turnover makes that much harder to achieve.

The compounding cost: repeated searching

Every time a pharmacy has to find fresh cover rather than rebooking someone familiar, it starts the search process again; checking availability, confirming compliance, and hoping for a good fit. Done occasionally, this isn't a big deal. Done every week, it becomes a recurring cost in itself, even before a shift has started.

Why continuity is worth prioritising

None of this means every shift needs the exact same locum. That's not realistic, and it's not necessary. But where continuity is possible; a locum who returns to the same pharmacy regularly, who already knows the systems and the team; the benefits tend to compound. Shifts run more smoothly, less oversight is needed, and patients experience a more consistent service.

What this looks like in practice

This is part of why we put effort into reconnecting pharmacies with locums they've worked well with before, rather than treating every booking as a blank slate. It's a small thing on any single occasion, but over months and years, it can meaningfully reduce the quieter costs of turnover that don't show up on a balance sheet but are felt by teams and patients all the same.

The bottom line

Locum turnover isn't free, even when there's no fee attached to it. The real cost shows up in time, pressure, and consistency and it's usually worth a pharmacy's while to prioritise continuity wherever they reasonably can.