Build a Reliable Locum Team for Your Dental Practice

By Eugene Bojé, BChD, MBA, MSc — Founder of Airlocum

The best dental practices don't scramble for locum cover. They have a system. When someone calls in sick, goes on holiday, or hands in their notice, these practices aren't panicking — they're sending a single message to a trusted professional who already knows the surgery.

The difference isn't luck. It's what sports teams call a 'bench' — a curated group of ready, reliable people who can step in at short notice and perform from day one. Based on data from over 40,000 shifts completed through Airlocum, here's the step-by-step system for building that bench for your practice in 2026.

Why You Need a Bench, Not Just a Contact List

A contact list is reactive. You scroll through names, hope someone picks up, and start from scratch every time. A bench is proactive — a curated group of professionals who know your practice, your systems, and your expectations.

A locum bench for a dental practice is a pre-vetted group of temporary professionals who have previously worked at your surgery and can step in at short notice with minimal orientation. Building one is the single most effective way to reduce staffing disruption.

The difference shows up in three measurable ways.

Speed. A bench professional can accept a shift and be productive from the moment they arrive. No orientation, no handholding, no guesswork. Practices with established Favourites lists on Airlocum fill same-day gaps in an average of under 15 minutes. Quality. You've already vetted these people through real working experience. You know they're good because you've seen them work in your practice. The GDC requires all practising dental professionals to be registered, and Airlocum verifies every locum's GDC registration automatically every 28 days, so your bench is always compliant.

Cost. A bench eliminates agency fees entirely. Direct relationships mean direct bookings at Airlocum's service fee of approximately £25 per day, compared to £60–80 per booking through a traditional agency. For a practice needing locum cover twice a month, that's a saving of £840+ per year on fees alone.

The Five-Step System for Building Your Locum Bench

Step 1: Treat Your Next Three Bookings as Auditions

You don't need to build a full bench overnight. Start with your next three locum bookings and treat each one as an audition. Pay attention to punctuality, clinical competence, patient manner, and how well they adapt to your practice systems.

After each booking, ask yourself one question: would I book this person again? If yes, add them to your Favourites on Airlocum immediately.

Step 2: Build Role-Specific Lists

Your bench should cover every role you might need at short notice. Most practices need at least two to three reliable options per role type: associate dentists, dental nurses, and hygienists.

On Airlocum, your Favourites list shows each professional's role, availability patterns, and your past bookings with them. Over time, you'll see who's most available on which days — invaluable for planning. With over 1,100 verified locum professionals on the platform across the UK, there's depth across every role category.

Step 3: Use Favourites First for Every Shift

Once you have even five or six people on your Favourites list, start using the My Favourites First feature. When you post a shift, it goes to your saved professionals before the wider pool, giving your bench priority access to your shifts.

This matters for two reasons. Your bench fills your shifts faster because they see them first. And it builds loyalty — locum professionals who get first access to well-run practices prioritise those practices in return. It's a virtuous cycle that strengthens over time.

Step 4: Invest in the Relationship

A bench only works if the professionals on it actually want to come back. The BDA has highlighted that staffing issues are a leading cause of stress in dental practices — and that applies to locums too. Treat them as part of your team, not as temporary outsiders.

The small things matter: a proper welcome on arrival, clear instructions, access to everything they need, and a genuine thank you at the end of the day. Leave a detailed review after every booking — locums read these and they shape where people choose to work.

Step 5: Maintain and Refresh Your Bench Quarterly

People's availability changes. Some locums move to permanent roles. Others relocate. Your bench needs periodic maintenance.

Every quarter, review your Favourites list. Are there professionals you haven't booked in three months? They may have moved on. Are there new locums you've worked with recently who should be added? Keep the list current and it stays useful.

Aim for a bench of eight to twelve professionals across all roles. That's enough depth that you'll almost always have someone available, without being so large that the list becomes meaningless.

What This Looks Like in Practice: A Real-World Scenario

It's 6:45 AM on a Tuesday. Your dental nurse texts — she's got a stomach bug and can't come in.

Without a bench: you start calling around, post on a WhatsApp group, consider calling an agency at £60–80 per booking, and spend 90 minutes managing a crisis before your first patient arrives. Your first two appointments get cancelled. That's £400+ in lost revenue before 10 AM.

With a bench: you open Airlocum, tap Quick Book, and send the shift to your favourite nurses with 2 clicks. One of them — who's already worked in your surgery six times this year — accepts within 15 minutes. She knows where the supplies are, she knows your software, and she arrives ready to work. Total cost: approximately £25 in service fees. Crisis over before it started.

The CQC expects dental practices to maintain adequate staffing levels to ensure patient safety and continuity of care. A well-maintained locum bench is one of the most practical ways to meet that expectation consistently, even when permanent staff are unavailable.

Start Building Your Bench Today

Building a reliable locum bench isn't complicated. It doesn't require new technology or a big budget. It requires a shift in mindset: from treating locum bookings as one-off emergencies to treating them as opportunities to build long-term reliability.

Every good booking is a chance to add someone to your bench. Every review you leave strengthens the relationship. Every time you use Favourites First, you're investing in a system that gets better the more you use it.

Start with your next booking. In three months, you'll have a bench. In six months, you'll wonder how you ever managed without one.

Build your bench today at airlocum.co.uk

External Sources

GDC Registration Requirements

CQC Guidance for Dental Practices

BDA: Supporting You During Declining Morale in Dentistry

For more on Favourites, reliability scores, and rebooking your best locums, see our answers to common practice questions.

Related Reading

• Dental Nurse Called in Sick? Here's What to Do Right Now
• The Real Cost of an Unfilled Chair in Your Dental Practice
• 5 Locum Booking Mistakes That Cost Dental Practices Time and Money