Guidelines for Registration – Locum Opticians

Team Locum Limited operates as an Employment Agency

Definitions:

‘Team Locum’ means Team Locum Limited.

‘Locum’ means the individual who is introduced by Team Locum to render services to the Client.

‘Client’ will mean the firm, organisation or person from whom the Locum accepts an Assignment.

‘Assignment’ or ‘placement’ means the period during which the Locum is supplied to render services to the Client.

References to the singular include the plural and vice versa and reference to the masculine include the feminine and vice versa.

Whilst at a placement the Locum:

  1. Will practise in accordance with the General Optical Council’s (GOC) Code of Conduct and all Acts relating to Opticians in force.
  2. Is self-employed and responsible for the payment of their own Tax and National Insurance payments. There is no entitlement to paid Annual Leave.
  3. Is never an employee of Team Locum and hence has no authority to act for and on behalf of Team Locum.
  4. Must be registered with the General Optical Council and be a permanent resident of the United Kingdom or be eligible to work in the UK by being compliant with the regulations under the Asylum & Immigration Act (1996) and other regulations in force. In the case that they is a foreign national, they must have no entry on their passport indicating any restriction on being allowed to work in the UK.
  5. In the case of an optometrist, must be registered with the appropriate Primary Care Trust and/or Health Board and have a valid Supplementary Ophthalmic List Number providing entitlement to carry out tests on NHS patients.
  6. Will have the relevant experience, qualifications and authorisation from any professional body to meet the requirements of the assignment agreed with the Client. Where the Locum has any doubt over their ability to carry out their professional duties they must inform the Client or their representative and the Agency immediately.
  7. Fitness to practice – If you are under investigation with the GOC for any reason, the agency must be notified immediately.
  8. Will hold valid professional indemnity insurance cover, the payment of premiums being the responsibility of the Locum. It is the responsibility of the Locum to ensure that they is covered by adequate indemnity insurance.
  9. Is expected to act and dress in a professional manner at all times and will arrive and leave at the times agreed. The Locum should arrive at least five minutes prior to the commencement of the booking and should contact the Client (at least) the day before an assignment to check the assignment details and ascertain any specific practice requirements. Should any variations be noted to agreed conditions of the Assignment the Locum must inform Team Locum Limited prior to starting the assignment to allow investigation of any changes.
  10. Must observe the rules and regulations set down by the Client, including Standard Operation Procedures, Information Governance and all issues related to Health and Safety at the premises where the placement is to be undertaken, and will not engage in any conduct or suffer or commit any act that will be detrimental to the Client or Team Locum.
  11. Must not contact the Client Team Locum have introduced the Locum to without Team Locums prior knowledge. Any booking made after the introduction by Team Locum, Team Locum must be informed.

General Information:

  1. Team Locum will seek work for the Locum based on their qualified profession. The Locum is not bound to accept any Assignment offered by Team Locum but by accepting an Assignment a binding contractual agreement is made with the Client which the Locum is expected to honour. If the Locum is unable to attend, they is required to arrange a substitute with the same qualifications and competence and who is registered with Team Locum Limited. The substitute must start the Assignment at the agreed time and at the original rate of pay. Where this is not possible the Locum must inform Team Locum in sufficient time to allow a replacement Locum to be found. Where additional payment is involved, the Locum who originally accepted the Assignment will be liable for this payment and any losses incurred by Team Locum Ltd. Should the Locum arrange a substitute, they must inform Team Locum Limited.
  2. In cases where the Client has reason to seek compensation due to the Locum’s non-appearance for an agreed Assignment, the responsibility for meeting the compensation rests with the Locum and not Team Locum.
  3. If, either before or during the course of an Assignment the Locum becomes aware of any reason why they may not be suitable for an Assignment they shall notify Team Locum without delay.
  4. The Locum acknowledges that the nature of temporary work means that there may be periods when no suitable work is available and agrees: that the suitability of the work to be offered shall be determined solely by Team Locum: that Team Locum shall incur no liability to the Locum should it fail to offer opportunities to work.
  5. The Locum will inform Team Locum of all occasions where self booking and/or Direct Booking between the Locum and the Client occurs in order to assist Team Locum in obtaining any charges owed to Team Locum by the Client. The Locum is required to inform Team Locum of any occasion where the Locum is employed directly by the Client within a period of 14 weeks following the last day they worked with the Client as a Locum.
  6. As the Locum is self-employed, Team Locum has no responsibility for payment or collection of any payments due to the Locum from a Client. Should the Locum experience such difficulty with the Client, the Locum should inform Team Locum.
  7. Information passed onto the Locum by Team Locum regarding any Client or Assignment opportunity is confidential and remains the property of Team Locum. The Locum pledges as a condition of registration, that they will not under any circumstances pass non-public information, discovered through Team Locum, into the public domain, in any transmission format whatsoever. Confidential information includes, but is not limited to, booking times and rates, payment information (including time frames for payment), and client information which is not freely accessible to the general public. Transmission formats include, but are not limited to, word of mouth, print, social media and other means of electronic publication. The locum agrees that, in the event that they should breach this pledge of confidentiality, they will indemnify Team Locum against all losses caused through their breach of confidentiality. The Locum must not pass any information discovered through Team Locum onto another Locum, nor introduce another Locum to a Client except through referral of the Locum to Team Locum.
  8. Team Locum will never be responsible for the payment of a Locum’s fees and/or expenses, whatever the circumstances leading to non-payment – including agency error.
  9. The Locum must inform Team Locum of any GOC or police investigations or any disciplinary action in progress which may have a bearing on their continuing registration with the GOC or which might affect their ability to obtain professional Indemnity Insurance.
  10. The Locum must maintain an up-to-date record of their Continuing Education and Training (CET) in line with any GOC guidelines, and supply details to Team Locum when requested.
  11. Upon request, the Locum will provide Team Locum with copies of relevant documents necessary to assist Team Locum in complying with UK Agency Regulations, UK law and Client contractual requirements.
  12. No variation or alteration to these terms shall be valid unless the details of such variation are agreed between Team Locum and the Locum and set out in writing and a copy of the varied terms is given to the Locum stating the date on or after which such varied terms shall apply.
  13. In accepting any Assignment secured through Team Locum, the Locum is in total agreement of these Terms and Conditions and agrees to abide by them.
  14. The Locum must give prior notice of any cancellation of work they will be providing, this will be ideally 24 hours but at least 4 hours notice.
  15. Repeatedly failing to give the notice required in point 14, (repeatedly failing to give notice and/or repeatedly failing to arrive for the shift agreed to) will result in the removal of your profile from our agency and work will no longer be provided. 
  16.  

GDPR 2018 Outline

Agreement with the Terms & Conditions relating to both the use of teamlocum.co.uk and to working on placement through Team Locum’s recruitment services is also agreement to fully comply with GDPR 2018 (effective as of 25/05/2018). Failure to do so, within any capacity that is related to Team Locum, will result in litigation.

Any communication between Team Locum and registered locums is private, and not to be shared without the permission of all parties involved. All information disclosed regarding shift rates, practice and staff details, and all other related topics is not to be shared publicly, in accordance with GDPR 2018. If this agreement is broken, any fines incurred will be the responsibility of the guilty party, and Team Locum holds no responsibility for locums who breach this confidentiality agreement.