Last-Minute Emergency Dental Locum Booking Strategies
By Eugene Bojé, Founder of Airlocum
🚨 Need cover right now? 1. Log in → select today's date → click Book a locum → send. 2. Don't add filters - price, distance - unless a skill is clinically non-negotiable. 3. If unfilled after 5 minutes, contact support via live chat. The team responds in under 2 minutes. |
When you need dental locum cover with less than 24 hours' notice, speed and reach are the only things that matter. This guide covers the four strategies Airlocum's most successful practices use to fill urgent and same-day shifts — including how to use Quick Book, how to configure your filters for maximum reach, and what to do if your shift still isn't filled.
The Four Emergency Booking Strategies
1 Use Quick Book first Quick Book is Airlocum's AI-powered booking method, built specifically for urgent and last-minute dental locum cover. Rather than showing you a list to browse, it automatically sends your request to the most reliable, available locums in your area — starting with the highest-rated and working outward in fast accelerated waves. This gives you the widest possible reach in the shortest possible time, without any manual configuration. 📊 Most urgent shifts fill in under 15 minutes with Quick Book |
How to use Quick Book
1. Log in to your Airlocum practice account. 2. Select today's date (or tomorrow's for early-morning shifts). 3. Click Book a locum - not 'Manual select'. 4. Review the shift details at checkout and click Send. 5. Monitor responses via the Booking Request Tracker. |
2 Remove all non-essential filters Every filter you apply reduces the number of locums who receive your request. For urgent cover, this is a risk you cannot afford. Price filter: Remove it, or raise the cap significantly. A locum who charges £5/hour more than your usual budget is far better than an unfilled shift. Distance filter: Expand as wide as possible. Locums are willing to travel further for well-paid, clearly described shifts. Skills filter: Only apply if the qualification is a genuine clinical or regulatory requirement for this specific session. Routine cover almost never needs a skills filter. Favourites filter: For planned bookings, 'My Favourites First' is ideal. For emergencies, remove it — or rely on the automatic 15-minute widen to the broader pool. |
💡 Rule of thumb for emergency shifts Ask yourself: 'If I remove this filter, would an unqualified or unsuitable locum get through?' If the honest answer is 'no' — remove the filter. Speed matters more than preference when the alternative is an uncovered shift. |
3 Send to all available locums If you choose Search Locums rather than Quick Book, click 'Proceed with All' at checkout — not just one or two locums from your results. The first locum to accept gets the shift. The booking closes automatically once someone confirms, so there is no risk of multiple acceptances. If 40+ locums appear in your search results, send to all of them. More notifications = faster confirmation. 📊 92% fill rate when 30+ locums are contacted |
4 Monitor with the Booking Request Tracker After sending your request, the Booking Request Tracker appears in your dashboard. It updates every 20 seconds showing how many locums have been notified, have viewed your request, and are actively checking their availability. You will also receive instant SMS and email notifications the moment a locum accepts. If the tracker shows high viewing but no acceptance after 10 minutes, this usually signals a price or availability issue — consider widening filters and resending. |
If the Shift Is Still Unfilled After 5 Minutes
Try these steps in order:
Action | How | |
1 | Widen and resend | Remove remaining filters. Increase distance and price cap. Send to all available locums. |
2 | Contact support | Open live chat and ask to speak to a person. The team responds in under 2 minutes, can check availability in your area, and can assist with urgent cover directly. |
3 | Wait for auto-rebooking | If no one accepts within 2 hours, Airlocum's automated rebooking system resends your request. Do not send a second manual request — contact support instead to avoid double bookings. |
Quick Book vs Search Locums - Which to Use for Emergencies?
⚡ Quick Book | 🔍 Search Locums | |
Best for | Urgent, same-day, and short-notice cover | Planned shifts, or when specific qualifications are required |
How it works | AI selects and notifies the best-matched locums automatically, in fast waves | You browse results, apply filters, and choose who receives your request |
Speed | Fastest — most urgent shifts fill in under 15 minutes | Fast when sent to 30+ locums, but requires manual setup |
Filter control | Automated — optimised for speed | Manual — you set distance, price, skills, and Favourites |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a dental locum at short notice in the UK?
Use Airlocum's Quick Book feature for same-day or last-minute dental locum cover. Log in, select today's date, click Quick Book, and send. Quick Book automatically contacts the most reliable, available locums in your area in fast waves. Most urgent shifts are confirmed in under 15 minutes. Remove all non-essential filters to maximise your reach.
What is the fastest way to book an emergency dental nurse locum?
Quick Book on Airlocum is the fastest method for emergency dental nurse cover. It is AI-powered and designed specifically for short-notice bookings. Send your request with no filters applied — or only a skills filter if it is clinically essential — to reach the maximum number of available nurses.
How quickly can Airlocum fill a same-day dental locum shift?
Most same-day dental locum shifts fill in under 15 minutes when Quick Book is used and no restrictive filters are applied. Airlocum has over 1,100 GDC-verified, DBS-checked dental locums across the UK, with the strongest coverage in London, the South East, and Home Counties.
Should I use filters when booking an emergency dental locum?
For emergency or same-day cover, remove as many filters as possible. Price, distance, and skills filters all reduce the number of locums who receive your request. Only apply a filter if the requirement is genuinely non-negotiable for the shift — for example, a conscious sedation qualification for a sedation session.
What if Quick Book doesn't fill my shift quickly?
If your shift is still unfilled after 15 minutes, open the live chat on the Airlocum website and ask to speak to a person. The support team responds in under 2 minutes and can check locum availability in your area, suggest filter adjustments, and assist with urgent cover directly. Airlocum's automated rebooking system also activates after 2 hours if no one accepts.
Can I book a dental locum for today?
Yes. Airlocum supports same-day dental locum bookings. Use Quick Book, select today's date, remove all non-essential filters, and send. The first locum to accept confirms the shift — the booking closes automatically.
What is the Booking Request Tracker?
The Booking Request Tracker is a live dashboard panel that appears after you send a booking request. It updates every 20 seconds and shows how many locums have been notified, have viewed your request, and are checking their availability. You also receive instant SMS and email notifications when a locum accepts.
Register for free at airlocum.co.uk. Support is available via live chat — ask to speak to a person at any time.
