5 Locum Booking Mistakes Costing Your Practice | Airlocum

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

Most dental practices have used a locum at some point. But there's a significant difference between occasionally scrambling for last-minute cover and running a system that consistently delivers reliable, cost-effective temporary staffing.

The gap usually comes down to five avoidable mistakes. Based on data from over 40,000 shifts completed through Airlocum in 2026, here are the patterns that separate practices that struggle with locum cover from those that have it solved.

Mistake 1: Waiting Until the Last Minute to Post Shifts

This is the most common and most costly error. A practice knows on Wednesday that they need cover on Friday, but they don't post the shift until Thursday evening.

By then, the best locum professionals — the ones with strong reviews and full diaries — are already booked. You're left choosing from whoever's still available, which often means someone less experienced or less familiar with your type of practice.

The data is clear: shifts posted more than 48 hours in advance on Airlocum have significantly higher fill rates and attract more applicants than those posted same-day. Early posting gives you choice. Late posting gives you whatever's left.

The fix is simple. Post shifts as soon as you know about them, even if the date is weeks away. On Airlocum, you can post shifts up to 12 months in advance. The earlier you post, the more choice you get.

Mistake 2: Not Building a Favourites List

Every time you book a good locum, that's an opportunity. But most practices treat each booking as a one-off transaction. The nurse was brilliant, the day went smoothly — and then you never see them again because you didn't save their details.

A locum Favourites list is a curated bench of pre-vetted temporary professionals who have previously worked at your practice and can be rebooked directly at short notice. Practices with an established Favourites list of five or more professionals fill same-day gaps significantly faster than those booking from the wider pool.

The fix: after every successful booking, add that professional to your Favourites immediately. Don't wait — you'll forget. Within a few months, you'll have a reliable bench of five to ten people who know your practice, your software, and your patients. Use the 'My Favourites First' feature to automatically offer new shifts to your saved professionals before opening them to the wider pool.

Mistake 3: Setting Rates Too Low (or Too High)

Pricing is a balancing act. Set your rate too low and your shift sits unfilled while better-paying practices nearby snap up all the available talent. Set it too high and you're eating into your margins unnecessarily.

The practices that fill shifts consistently are the ones that pay attention to market rates in their area and price competitively. For current workforce data and benchmarks, the NHS England dental workforce statistics provide useful context on staffing trends across the sector. A rate that's £1–2 above the local average often gets your shift filled in minutes rather than hours.

For context, Airlocum's service fee averages just £25–30 per day, compared to £60–80 per booking through a traditional agency. That means you can afford to offer a slightly higher locum rate while still saving money overall — a combination that gets shifts filled faster and attracts better professionals.

Mistake 4: Leaving Your Practice Profile Incomplete

Locum professionals choose where they work. They're evaluating your practice just as much as you're evaluating their profile. A sparse practice listing with no description and no details about parking or equipment is a red flag.

Experienced locums skip incomplete listings. They've been burned before by practices that turned out to be disorganised, hard to find, or using outdated equipment. An incomplete profile signals all of those risks.

The fix: spend 3 minutes completing your practice profile on Airlocum. Add a description of your surgery, list your software systems (Dentally, SOE, R4, etc.), note parking arrangements, and mention any specialisms. Think of it as a job advert — the more appealing it is, the better the candidates you attract. Practices with complete profiles on Airlocum receive faster responses and more applicants per shift posted.

Mistake 5: Not Leaving Reviews After Bookings

Reviews are the currency of trust on any staffing platform. The General Dental Council (GDC) sets professional standards for all dental team members, and the CQC expects practices to demonstrate adequate staffing arrangements. Reviews on Airlocum serve a dual purpose: they help you identify consistently compliant, high-performing locums and they build your practice's reputation as a professional, well-managed workplace that locums actively want to work in.

The fix: leave a review after every booking. It takes 15 seconds. Be specific about what went well — "arrived on time, great with patients, gelled with the team, professional appearance" is far more useful than "good." This builds your reputation as a practice that locums want to work with.

The Compound Effect of Getting It Right in 2026

None of these mistakes are catastrophic on their own. But together, they're the difference between a practice that's constantly firefighting and one that fills shifts reliably, affordably, and with professionals they actually want.

The common thread is treating locum staffing as a system, not an emergency response. Build your bench, post early, price fairly, invest five minutes in your profile and reviews. The compounding effect is significant — and it's why over 1,900 UK dental practices, including groups like Bupa, MyDentist, Rodericks, and Portman Dentex, use Airlocum as their primary locum booking tool.

Start building your locum bench at airlocum.co.uk

External Sources

GDC Standards for the Dental Team

CQC Guidance for Dental Practices

NHS England Dental Workforce Statistics

Avoiding these mistakes is easier once you know how the platform works — our frequently asked questions for practices walk through booking, filters, and reliability scores.

Related Reading

• Dental Nurse Called in Sick? Here's What to Do Right Now
• Dental Locum Platforms vs Agencies: Which Is Actually Better?
• How to Build a Reliable Locum Team for Your Dental Practice