Airlocum Featured in Government & Public Sector Journal | Dental Locum Cover

Airlocum has been featured in the Government & Public Sector Journal (GPSJ), a UK trade title covering the NHS and wider public sector. The article asks a question we think about constantly: if on-demand technology can fill a dental chair in under 15 minutes, could the same model fix recruitment across the NHS? For any practice manager who has spent a morning on the phone chasing last-minute cover, the answer feels obvious.

What the article says

The GPSJ piece, titled “Could the ‘Uberisation’ of Locum Cover in Dental Practices Be a Blueprint for Recruitment Across the Entire NHS?”, looks at how dental practices are moving away from traditional agencies and towards direct, technology-led booking. It sets out the problem plainly: sourcing reliable, last-minute cover through traditional agencies is often slow, opaque and costly, and without real-time visibility of who is available, practices risk cancelling patients and losing income.

Airlocum is described in the article as a platform that connects dental practices directly with verified locum professionals, with bookings often confirmed within 15 minutes. That speed is the whole point: it turns last-minute cover from a daily crisis into a solved process.

Why a public-sector journal cares about dental staffing

The article makes an argument we find compelling. Dentistry is consolidating into larger practice groups, some running NHS contracts at scale, and those groups increasingly need centralised, technology-enabled systems to manage staffing, cost and compliance.

Real-time locum-matching platforms are a natural fit for that infrastructure. The GPSJ piece argues that the same model could help reduce missed appointments and patient backlogs across other parts of the NHS — not by replacing clinicians, but by making sure the right professional is in the right place at the right time. When workforce shortages meet patient need, technology can close the gap quickly, transparently and at lower cost.

What practices are already seeing

This isn’t theory for the practices already using Airlocum. Suzie Lovick, Operations Manager at Banning Dental Group, is quoted in the article: “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.”

That visibility - who covered which shift, and what it cost - is exactly what corporate dental groups struggle to get from traditional agencies. It is also what makes the model relevant to anyone responsible for staffing across multiple sites.

The bigger picture

Dentistry has historically lagged behind other parts of healthcare in adopting technology, but that is changing fast. Locum-matching platforms are part of a wider shift towards digital tools that improve both patient care and operational resilience. For patients, that means fewer cancelled appointments and more consistent access to treatment.

We’re proud to see Airlocum recognised in this conversation. You can read the full Government & Public Sector Journal article here.

Find verified locum cover with Airlocum

Airlocum is a UK dental staffing marketplace that connects practices directly with GDC-verified locum professionals, with shifts often confirmed in minutes rather than hours. If you want to stop chasing cover by phone and start filling chairs in minutes, post your first shift at airlocum.co.uk.