Career guide
Guide to becoming a locum psychiatrist in the UK: GMC Specialist Register, Section 12 MHA approval, Approved Clinician status, and the NHS vs independent split.
At a glance | Regulator
GMC registration with a licence to practise, plus (for Consultant roles) entry on the Specialist Register requiredA locum psychiatrist covers clinical work on a session-by-session basis for the organisations that need them, as a self-employed professional rather than a salaried employee. This guide walks through everything you need to do to start, in order, and the common pitfalls that catch people in their first year.
Guide | 7 steps
Full GMC registration with a licence to practise. For any Consultant locum role, you need entry on the Specialist Register in Psychiatry. Trust grade and SAS locum work is possible without Specialist Register entry but pays substantially less.
Section 12 approval is what lets you detain under the Mental Health Act. Most Consultant locum work expects it. Apply to your regional Section 12 Panel and attend the approval course. Approval lasts 5 years in England under the Mental Health Act 1983 Approved Clinician Directions 2015 (some regions operate a shorter local cycle), then requires a renewal course. Lapsed Section 12 drops your day rate sharply and agency availability falls off a cliff.
A separate approval from Section 12, covering the broader Approved Clinician role under the MHA. Requires a portfolio of MHA practice and panel approval. Most inpatient and crisis team Consultant locum work expects AC status.
Three distinct markets: NHS agency (capped framework, lower rates, volume work), independent hospitals (Priory, Cygnet, Elysium, Huntercombe – higher day rates, practising-privileges model), and medico-legal / tribunal report work (highest margin per hour but needs a referral network). Most senior locums mix all three.
Globe Locums, Athona, Cpl Healthcare, Medacs, and Daytime Healthcare all run psychiatry desks. Direct relationships with Priory and Cygnet bypass agency fees entirely and are how most experienced locums work. Apply to a couple of each.
CNST covers NHS clinical work. Independent hospital indemnity does NOT cover you for GMC or civil claims. Hold your own cover with MDU / MPS / MDDUS, extended for medico-legal reporting if you’re doing tribunal or expert work.
Section 12 renewal requires evidence of ongoing MHA practice. Agencies will not produce this log for you. A simple spreadsheet of assessments, detentions, and tribunal attendances with dates and settings is the minimum. Miss this and renewal stalls.
Once you are registered
Log every session with its date, rate, and workplace, send invoices that chase themselves, keep your documents current, and watch your tax reserve build as you go.
Checklist | Documents
Sessional sends reminders 30 days before each expiry.
Checklist | First year
Related
Last reviewed April 2026. Rates and regulator details change. If something looks off, let us know.
From the first booking
Keeps the records, does the sums. Filing and advice stay with you and your accountant.
Sessional tracks every session, invoice, expense, and document from day one. No card to start.