Locum hospital doctor
Low £40.00Typical £80.00High £180.00
Rate benchmark
Locum hospital doctor rates in the UK, 2026
£80.00typical per hour
Indicative pay ranges for UK locum hospital doctors in the 2026/27 tax year. What’s typical, what drives variance, and how to benchmark your own rate against the market.
Ledger | Indicative 2026 range
Low, typical, and high.
Rates track grade, specialty, and urgency. SHO bank shifts sit around £30 to £50/hr, Registrar £50 to £100/hr, and Consultant £85 to £180/hr. Off-framework crisis cover, emergency medicine, ITU, anaesthetics and weekend on-call can clear £200/hr with cap-waiver approval. London and the East of England run above average; Wales and Scotland below. Since 2017 almost all NHS locum engagements are assessed inside IR35, so the headline figure is typically paid through umbrella/PAYE.
| Rangeper hour | LowIndicative | TypicalIndicative | HighIndicative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicative 2026 range (per hour) | £40.00 | £80.00 | £180.00 |
Indicative 2026 range (per hour)
Every figure on this page, including the ranges in the text above, is Sessional's own estimate and not a survey result. In forming them we looked at: BMA locum pay guidance; NHS England agency rate caps (HTE, CCS frameworks); Published rate cards from Medacs, ID Medical, Holt Doctors. We do not link to them because several are for members only or change often, so treat the ranges as a guide and check current adverts. Real rates vary by individual contract and market conditions. Sessional doesn't guarantee any specific rate and your individual outcome depends on your negotiation and the organisations you work with. Figures last reviewed .
01 | Market context
05Rate driversWhat drives the variance
For hospital doctors, grade drives the baseline and specialty drives the ceiling: SHO bank shifts sit far below Consultant-grade emergency or ITU cover.
Geography: London and the South East usually pay above the rest of the country, and rates elsewhere follow local demand.
Urgency: last-minute cover pays more. Organisations covering a sudden gap often pay noticeably above their standard rate.
Specialty: out-of-hours, unplanned care, specialist wards, and complex caseload all uplift the base rate.
Volume: regular weekly bookings are usually offered at a lower rate than ad-hoc shifts in exchange for certainty.
Route to market: direct bookings pay more than agency routes because no one takes a cut.
02 | Your ledger
04Benchmarking stepsHow to benchmark your own rate
Write down the last ten bookings you accepted and the rate you charged or received.
Break them down by region, urgency, and duration.
Compare each against the typical range above. If you are consistently at or below the low end on standard bookings, you are probably underpriced.
Next time you are asked for your rate on a standard booking in a London or South East organisation, quote the typical figure from the headline above and see what happens. A refusal tells you about the booking, not your rate.
03 | Questions
03Short answersLocum hospital doctor rates: common questions
How much do locum hospital doctors earn per hour in 2026?
Indicative 2026 rates for UK locum hospital doctors run from £40.00 to £180.00 per hour, with £80.00 typical. These are Sessional's own estimates, not survey results. In forming them we looked at: BMA locum pay guidance; NHS England agency rate caps (HTE, CCS frameworks); Published rate cards from Medacs, ID Medical, Holt Doctors. Real rates vary by contract, region and notice, so check current adverts before you quote.
What makes rates for locum hospital doctors higher or lower?
For hospital doctors, grade drives the baseline and specialty drives the ceiling: SHO bank shifts sit far below Consultant-grade emergency or ITU cover.
Does Sessional set or guarantee these rates?
No. The figures are indicative, and your rate depends on your negotiation and the organisations you work with. Sessional records the rates you actually charge so you can compare them with this range.
04 | 34 cities
Look up your city
01Locum hospital doctor in London02Locum hospital doctor in Manchester03Locum hospital doctor in Birmingham04Locum hospital doctor in Leeds05Locum hospital doctor in Liverpool06Locum hospital doctor in Sheffield07Locum hospital doctor in Bristol08Locum hospital doctor in Newcastle09Locum hospital doctor in Nottingham10Locum hospital doctor in Leicester11Locum hospital doctor in Coventry12Locum hospital doctor in Bradford13Locum hospital doctor in Southampton14Locum hospital doctor in Portsmouth15Locum hospital doctor in Brighton16Locum hospital doctor in Reading17Locum hospital doctor in Oxford18Locum hospital doctor in Cambridge19Locum hospital doctor in Norwich20Locum hospital doctor in Milton Keynes21Locum hospital doctor in York22Locum hospital doctor in Plymouth23Locum hospital doctor in Derby24Locum hospital doctor in Stoke-on-Trent25Locum hospital doctor in Hull26Locum hospital doctor in Sunderland27Locum hospital doctor in Glasgow28Locum hospital doctor in Edinburgh29Locum hospital doctor in Aberdeen30Locum hospital doctor in Dundee31Locum hospital doctor in Cardiff32Locum hospital doctor in Swansea33Locum hospital doctor in Newport34Locum hospital doctor in Belfast
Figures last reviewed 24 April 2026
Run your locum work like a business. Minus the accountant.
Keeps the records, does the sums. Filing and advice stay with you and your accountant.
Log every booking in Sessional and keep the rate you actually agreed against each one. Basic is free with no card; earnings by organisation and by month come with the reporting on Pro.