SUMMER 2025 DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 45
NHS & HEALTHCARE
GPSJ
Could the ‘uberisation’ of locum cover
in dental practices, be a blueprint for
recruitment process across the entire NHS?
By Dr Eugene Bojé
The UK dental sector is facing an unprecedented sta昀케ng challenge. NHS dentistry, already under pressure from
underfunding and recruitment shortages, is now contending with volatile workforce availability and surging patient
demand. The British Dental Association (BDA) has warned of an “existential crisis” for NHS provision, while a
2023 General Dental Council (GDC) survey revealed that more than a quarter of UK dentists are considering
reducing their NHS commitments or leaving the profession altogether.
For patients, this translates into
longer waits, fewer available
appointments, and - in some
cases - no access to a dentist
at all. For practice managers, it
means a daily struggle to 昀椀ll empty
clinical slots, particularly when
sta昀昀 call in sick or patient lists
suddenly swell. The reality is that
in many surgeries, the problem is
not only about recruiting dentists
- it is about keeping the chairs
occupied day-to-day.
Locum dentists - clinicians
brought in on a temporary basis play a vital role in keeping services
running. Yet sourcing reliable, lastminute cover through traditional
recruitment agencies can be
slow, opaque, and costly. Many
recruitment agencies still rely
on outdated methods, including
manual phone calls, limited outof-hours options, and a “we’ll see
what we can do” approach that
leaves dental practices waiting
for solutions to their urgent
recruitment needs. Without realtime visibility of who is available,
practices risk cancelling patients,
disrupting continuity of care, and
losing income.
Dubbed the “Uber of dental
locuming,” Airlocum connects
practices directly with veri昀椀ed
locum dentists and hygienists in
their area. The platform allows
managers to log in, browse
clinician pro昀椀les, check availability
and rates, and con昀椀rm bookings often within 15 minutes.
With over 1,300 practices
already onboard (a 昀椀gure that
continues to grow month-on-
month), Airlocum has rapidly
overtaken many traditional
agencies in speed, transparency,
and cost-e昀昀ectiveness.
For Suzie Lovick, Operations
Manager at Banning Dental
Group, the di昀昀erence has been
transformational: “Airlocum has
genuinely changed the game for
us. It’s not just a platform - it’s
a solution shaped around the
realities of running a fast-paced
dental group. We can see exactly
where the usage has been, who
has covered the shifts, and the
associated spend. We only use
Airlocum now.”
The comparison with Uber or
Airbnb is more than a marketing
tagline. Just as those services
replaced phone queues with
instant, on-demand access,
Airlocum provides real-time
control over sta昀케ng, clear
digital records, and secure
communication. This shift not only
saves time, but it also reduces
the operational risk of cancelled
patient sessions.
For locum dentists, the bene昀椀ts
are equally signi昀椀cant. The
British Dental Journal notes that
昀氀exibility and digital convenience
are now among the top career
priorities for early-career dental
clinicians. Airlocum’s model o昀昀ers
autonomy over work choices,
direct negotiation on rates, and
clarity on job details - features that
are often absent in the traditional
agency process.
In the 昀椀rst half of 2025 alone,
Airlocum processed more than
9,500 bookings, with nearly
one-third of those being sameday cover requests. The platform
is increasingly integrating with
other digital systems used by
practice groups, from diary
management tools to compliance
documentation and payroll
reporting.
This is where the model’s
relevance to the public sector
becomes clear. As dentistry
moves towards larger,
consolidated practice groups some operating NHS contracts
at scale - centralised, techenabled management systems
are becoming essential. Platforms
like Airlocum 昀椀t neatly into this
infrastructure, o昀昀ering data
insights into sta昀케ng trends, cost
control, and operational e昀케ciency.
For commissioners and
policymakers, the use of
innovative recruitment technology
in the dental sector demonstrates
how real-time sta昀케ng models
could help reduce missed
appointments and patient
backlogs across other healthcare
settings, while also providing a
framework for integrating digital
platforms into NHS contractual
arrangements to ensure that both
urban and rural practices bene昀椀t
equally.
While dentistry has traditionally
lagged behind other healthcare
sectors in adopting technology,
change is accelerating. From
AI-assisted diagnostics to remote
treatment planning, digital tools
are beginning to reshape both
patient care and operational
resilience.
Locum-matching platforms are
an essential part of this shift. They
do not replace clinicians, but they
ensure that those clinicians are in
the right place, at the right time when dental practices need them.
For patients, that means fewer
cancelled appointments and more
consistent access to treatment.
As NHS dental services are
already overstretched, the ability
to secure recruitment cover within
minutes could mean the di昀昀erence
between keeping a surgery open
or closing its doors for the day.
For the public sector, the
lesson is clear: when workforce
shortages meet patient need,
technology can bridge the gap
quickly, transparently, and coste昀昀ectively. Where every available
appointment slot matters, this
innovation may be the key to
keeping NHS dentistry accessible
for the communities that need it
most.
For more information about
Airlocum, visit https://www.
airlocum.co.uk
Dr Eugene Bojé
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL SUMMER 2025
45
