Locum physician associate
Low £22.00Typical £30.00High £45.00
Rate benchmark
Locum physician associate rates in the UK, 2026
£30.00typical per hour
Indicative pay ranges for UK locum physician associates 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.
PA locum rates sit £21 to £27/hr on NHS bank, £28 to £42/hr via agency, and £30 to £45/hr direct to PCNs for primary care work. Weekend and evening premium adds around 1.3 to 1.6x. The market is structurally constrained by scope of practice and the current prescribing limit. Following PA statutory regulation transferring to GMC in December 2024 and the Leng Review, trusts enforce scope documents more strictly, which has dampened rate growth.
| Rangeper hour | LowIndicative | TypicalIndicative | HighIndicative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicative 2026 range (per hour) | £22.00 | £30.00 | £45.00 |
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: NHS England agency rate caps; Published PA rate cards from medical locum agencies. 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 physician associates, the route (NHS bank, agency, or direct-to-PCN) accounts for most of the spread, and the current prescribing limit keeps the ceiling structurally lower than for prescribing roles.
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 physician associate rates: common questions
How much do locum physician associates earn per hour in 2026?
Indicative 2026 rates for UK locum physician associates run from £22.00 to £45.00 per hour, with £30.00 typical. These are Sessional's own estimates, not survey results. In forming them we looked at: NHS England agency rate caps; Published PA rate cards from medical locum agencies. Real rates vary by contract, region and notice, so check current adverts before you quote.
What makes rates for locum physician associates higher or lower?
For physician associates, the route (NHS bank, agency, or direct-to-PCN) accounts for most of the spread, and the current prescribing limit keeps the ceiling structurally lower than for prescribing roles.
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 physician associate in London02Locum physician associate in Manchester03Locum physician associate in Birmingham04Locum physician associate in Leeds05Locum physician associate in Liverpool06Locum physician associate in Sheffield07Locum physician associate in Bristol08Locum physician associate in Newcastle09Locum physician associate in Nottingham10Locum physician associate in Leicester11Locum physician associate in Coventry12Locum physician associate in Bradford13Locum physician associate in Southampton14Locum physician associate in Portsmouth15Locum physician associate in Brighton16Locum physician associate in Reading17Locum physician associate in Oxford18Locum physician associate in Cambridge19Locum physician associate in Norwich20Locum physician associate in Milton Keynes21Locum physician associate in York22Locum physician associate in Plymouth23Locum physician associate in Derby24Locum physician associate in Stoke-on-Trent25Locum physician associate in Hull26Locum physician associate in Sunderland27Locum physician associate in Glasgow28Locum physician associate in Edinburgh29Locum physician associate in Aberdeen30Locum physician associate in Dundee31Locum physician associate in Cardiff32Locum physician associate in Swansea33Locum physician associate in Newport34Locum physician associate 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.