Locate a Locum, a company founded and based in Belfast, is aiming to cut the NHS agency staff bill with a new piece of software. Most people think of doctors when they hear the word locum, but a huge problem exists for pharmacies needing quick access to pharmacists.
Locate a Locum, the brainchild of pharmacist and CEO Jonathon Clarke and developer Michael Budden, has secured funding of over £500k to develop the opportunity.
The funding package has been led by TechStart NI, who provide support for early stage technology businesses, and also involves a number of private investors, including those from Halo, the NI business angel network.
Locate a Locum have had a whirlwind 12 months, firstly being accepted onto the Entrepreneurial Spark programme, winning the Connect Invent ‘Creative Media and Consumer Internet’ category and graduating from Connect Springboard, NI’s personalised accelerator programme.
Since the platform went live, Locate a Locum has signed up thousands of pharmacists across the UK, and it services over 8,000 pharmacies, including big chains such as Boots, Well and Rowlands.
Locate a Locum’s CEO, Jonathon Clarke, explains:
“The platform is aimed initially at the pharmacy market as a pharmacy must have a registered pharmacist on the premises at all times. However, the capability to save the NHS, retail and community pharmacists’ time, and more importantly money, is staggering. The NHS currently spends £4bn per year on agency fees. Locate a Locum can save the NHS an average of £105 per day for each temporary member of staff by using our efficient software solution.”
Alan Watts, Director of Halo, commented:
“Jonathan and Michael are two promising entrepreneurs who have found a real gap in the market. The top 4 pharmacy chains alone have almost 50,000 locum days available per month so a lot of man power is required to ensure adequate cover is in place. The platform developed by Locate a Locum will ensure that this issue is a thing of the past.”
Pictured in the photgraph are Michael Budden Locate a Locum, Alan Watts Halo and Jonathan Clarke Locate a Locum
