As a result of changes to the NHS contract in England, some practices feel more confident about hitting their targets, leading to a reduced demand for locum dentists. Many temporary urgent care contracts that had been issued to locums were pulled at the beginning of April 2026 – changes to the underlying contract meant that urgent care was being covered by existing staff instead – meaning locums started to lose work at this time.
Locum dentists, dental hygienists, and dental therapists offer practices a myriad of benefits when it comes to flexibility in managing patient lists and covering absence of permanent staff.
What practices are seeking
Amongst UK dental practices, there is still a demand for locum dentists. For example, if a practice is seeking a permanent associate, they may look to employ a locum in the meantime. This enables the practice to continue to provide consistent care for their patients in the interim. Locum positions can range from long term to short term, with some requiring a number of weeks to cover planned sick leave, a number of months to cover maternity leave, or a week or two to fill the gaps during annual leave or half terms.
Demand is particularly healthy during school holidays, with additional peaks in January to March as practices re-open after Christmas and ensure they are able to meet their UDA targets for avoiding NHS clawback. That said, there is still demand throughout the year, including for assistance covering urgent dental care, with opportunities for locum dentists to work in the evening for an hourly rate seeing additional patients.
Regional discrepancies
In addition to the challenges associated with urgent dental care, there are a number of differences to consider when it comes to locations in the UK. Some regions are commonly more difficult to recruit for than others, for example, areas like Hertfordshire and London are generally easier, whilst more rural or costal practices may struggle to fill full time positions, like Yorkshire, county Durham, or Cornwall. Whilst this presents difficulties, bringing in locum dentists in areas where it’s traditionally more difficult to hire a full-time associate helps to bridge the gap. In the short term, locums who do not live locally may be happy to travel for work, especially when aspects such as travel and accommodation costs are compensated. This is particularly true when a locum is struggling to acquire work in their local area, due to low demand.
What locum dentists offer
The flexibility that comes with locum dentistry offers numerous benefits for both parties. If a dentist is considering taking on locum work for the first time, it can be helpful to remember that they are not tied into a notice period in the same way as a permanent member of the team. However, it also means that if the dentist and practice develop a good working relationship, they might consider transforming to a permanent position.
There’s no one size fits all with locum work – some locums offered a permanent contract will accept straight away, others might work at the same practice as a locum for years, without the need to transform to permanent. Additionally, locum dentists will respond to the different types of work required, such as emergency dentistry, demand in prisons, increased need at corporates, or even upcoming dental groups hiring locums through an agency whilst their recruitment team grows.
Support through the proces
Dental Elite has an experienced locum recruitment team, laser focussed on matching dentists to the ideal practice and the best location to suit both parties. This can be particularly helpful for practices who feel more comfortable using a specialty agency to recruit the ideal person. Additionally, the Dental Elite team work hard on behalf of locum dental professionals to find them the best fit, contacting practices (whether they’re advertising or not) within their commuting distance to collate the best range of options. This helps to save both parties time and overwhelm often associated with traditional recruitment and job searching.
Sometimes, practices may feel put off by hiring locums, if they have previously had bad experiences. That’s why Dental Elite do not just place a locum in a practice and step away. The experienced team recommends setting up an introductory call first, to help both parties establish a good fit, and keep communication lines open to support both dentist and practice to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Reacting to fluctuating markets
Ultimately, it’s important to be aware that demand for locum services goes in cycles, reacting to various market changes. It’s likely that demands will escalate as practices calculate that achieving their NHS contract is now more lucrative than it once was. For example, if a locum dentist carries out eight unscheduled care appointments in a day, at a rate of £80, they’ll generate £640 in income. This highlights that the contract changes have actually made locum services more equitable, especially when we consider the additional UDAs completed in addition to urgent appointments.
For more information on Dental Elite visit www.dentalelite.co.uk, email info@dentalelite.co.uk or call 01788 545 900
Author: Lisa McCusker, Senior Locum Controller, Dental Elite
