Covid-19 Pandemic Emergency Roving Locums (PERL)
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The New Zealand Rural General Practice Network has extended their contract with the Ministry of Health to provide additional funded locum support to rural general practices that have been impacted by Covid-19.
Priority will go initially to those practices in the rural Auckland and Coromandel regions.
Other rural practices that have been significantly impacted by Covid-19, or those that are having staffing difficulties linked to an ongoing challenge in recruiting medical staff will also be considered.
While all applications will be assessed on a case by case basis, the support will predominantly be in the form of funding for a locum doctor, nurse practitioner, or other staff member for up to 2 weeks. It can also include the costs of their accommodation and travel.
As this is not an unlimited resource and to ensure it is allocated fairly, we will need information from you to assist us in prioritising applications and allocating the funding. Please complete this application form to let us know about your practice and what you need.
All applications will be reviewed by our NZLocums team and an Application Assessment Panel.
If it is accepted, your Relationship Manager will work with you to source a locum and make the necessary arrangements.
Rural locum support service
All rural GPs are eligible to access locum cover for two weeks per annum (per FTE).
The practice will need to pay the locum and provide accommodation and a vehicle. The locum is employed as a contractor through NZLocums. As we are a not-for-profit organisation we pass on the cost of paying the locum at the same rate at which the locum is paid.
Please note that we do not charge the practice any recruitment fees or commission however we do charge a payroll administration fee. Please contact one of our Relationship Managers to find out more.
We pride ourselves on our service, however due to fluctuations in supply and demand for locums, we may not always be able to provide a locum at the time you need them. We will do our utmost to ensure we find a mutually suitable time so you can take your break.
Rural Recruitment Service
This scheme provides a national service for rural general practitioners for the following situations:
- Recruitment for permanent positions
- Bridging recruitment solutions for filling a gap until your new permanent general practitioner arrives.
- Hotspot cover – where an unplanned or unresolved recruitment problem has arisen.
To ascertain your rural ranking eligibility you will need to contact your District Health Board for further information.
Quality of our locums
Our team of experienced medical recruiters source New Zealand qualified and international medical graduates to work with us on contract. We facilitate Medical Council registration requirements and arrange supervision for the locum if necessary.
Each locum candidate is fully reference checked and vetted by our service before being placed with a rural practice. When an internationally qualified locum arrives in New Zealand for the first time they attend a CME accredited orientation course run by us which covers many areas including ACC, Work and Income, Medtech32, cultural competence, the New Zealand health system and its funding streams.