Can You Work NHS Bank Shifts and Locum Shifts at the Same Time?

The short answer is yes, you absolutely can work both NHS bank shifts and locum shifts at the same time. In fact, many healthcare professionals are doing exactly this to maximise their earning potential and maintain the flexibility they need.

But there’s more to it than just saying yes. The traditional way of managing both can leave you feeling completely overwhelmed. You’re juggling multiple agencies, drowning in paperwork, and spending hours each week just trying to keep track of everything. It’s exhausting, frustrating, and frankly, it shouldn’t be this hard. However, there’s now a much smarter approach that’s changing how healthcare professionals handle flexible work.

Let’s look at what combining these shifts really means – and why platforms like Flexzo Ai are making it easier than ever to maximise your opportunities without the usual headaches.

Understanding the Basics

NHS bank shifts are those extra shifts offered by NHS Trusts beyond your contracted hours. They’re usually offered to existing NHS staff first, then opened up to external candidates if there aren’t enough takers.

Locum shifts, on the other hand, are temporary positions that can be found through agencies, direct with Trusts, or increasingly through collaborative platforms like Flexzo Ai.

The key point is that these aren’t mutually exclusive. There’s no rule stopping you from doing both, and many healthcare professionals have found this combination works really well for them.

Why Healthcare Professionals Choose Both

The main reason people combine NHS bank and locum work comes down to opportunity and control.

NHS bank shifts give you familiarity. You know the hospital, the systems, the people. There’s comfort in working somewhere you understand, and often the rates are competitive with standard NHS pay scales.

Locum shifts give you variety and often better rates. You can explore different hospitals, learn new approaches, and sometimes earn significantly more per hour than traditional NHS work.

Together, they give you the best of both worlds. Steady, familiar work when you want it, and the freedom to explore new opportunities and higher pay when that suits you better.

The Practical Considerations

While it’s perfectly legal and acceptable to do both, there are some practical things to think about.

Compliance Requirements

Both NHS bank work and locum shifts require you to maintain current compliance documents. This means keeping your DBS, professional registrations, right to work documents, and health clearances up to date.

The challenge with traditional approaches is that you often need to submit these documents separately to different organisations. This creates a lot of administrative work and potential for things to fall through the cracks.

Managing Multiple Relationships

Working with NHS banks and locum agencies means managing relationships with multiple organisations. Each has different booking systems, different payment processes, and different communication methods.

Some healthcare professionals find themselves juggling numerous agency relationships, each requiring separate registrations, compliance checks, and ongoing management.

Tax and Financial Planning

Combining different types of work can make tax planning more complex. You might be employed for some shifts and self-employed for others. Different organisations might handle pension contributions differently.

It’s worth getting advice from an accountant who understands healthcare work to make sure you’re handling everything correctly and not missing out on benefits you’re entitled to.

The Time and Energy Factor

One thing that catches many people off guard is how much time the administrative side of this work can take.

Keeping track of different compliance requirements, managing multiple relationships, and staying on top of various booking systems can eat into your free time significantly.

Many healthcare professionals find that what should be simple – finding and booking shifts that suit them – becomes a part-time job in itself.

Where Collaborative Platforms Make a Difference

This is where platforms like Flexzo Ai are changing the game completely.

Instead of managing relationships with multiple agencies and NHS banks separately, collaborative platforms bring everything together in one place.

With Flexzo Ai, you upload your compliance documents once, and the system manages them across all the opportunities available to you. Whether that’s NHS bank shifts, locum work, or longer-term placements, everything is handled through one platform.

The smart matching system looks at your availability, location, and preferences, then shows you relevant opportunities from across their network. This includes both NHS Trusts looking for bank staff and organisations needing locum cover.

Instead of spending hours each week managing different relationships and checking various job boards, you can focus on what matters – choosing the shifts that work for your life and your career goals.

Making It Work for Your Lifestyle

The key to successfully combining NHS bank and locum work is having clear boundaries and good systems.

Think about what you want from your working life. Some people use NHS bank shifts as their reliable foundation, then add locum work when they want extra income or variety. Others do the opposite, using locum work as their main income source and picking up familiar NHS bank shifts when they want something more predictable.

The important thing is that you stay in control of your schedule rather than letting it control you.

Setting Your Availability

Be realistic about how much you want to work and when. It’s easy to get caught up in the opportunity to earn more and end up overcommitting yourself.

Most successful healthcare professionals who combine both types of work have clear rules about their availability. They might decide to work a maximum number of shifts per month, or always keep certain days free for personal time.

Managing Your Energy

Working in different environments regularly can be more tiring than working in familiar settings. Factor this into your planning and make sure you’re not burning yourself out chasing extra income.

Professional Development

One of the unexpected benefits of combining NHS bank and locum work is the professional development opportunities. You see different approaches, work with different teams, and build a broader network of professional contacts.

This can be valuable for your long-term career, not just your immediate income.

The Future of Flexible Healthcare Work

The healthcare sector is changing rapidly, and the traditional model of working for a single employer is becoming less common.

More healthcare professionals are choosing portfolio careers that combine different types of work to create the lifestyle and income they want.

Collaborative platforms like Flexzo Ai are making this easier by removing the administrative burden and giving professionals more control over their working lives.

Instead of being limited to what one NHS Trust or one agency can offer, you can access opportunities from across a much wider network while maintaining the simplicity of dealing with one platform.

Taking Control of Your Career

The question isn’t really whether you can work NHS bank shifts and locum shifts at the same time – you absolutely can.

The real question is whether you want to spend your time managing multiple relationships and compliance requirements, or whether you’d prefer to focus on choosing the opportunities that best suit your life and career goals.

Platforms like Flexzo Ai are designed to give you that choice. One registration, one compliance process, access to opportunities across NHS Trusts and private organisations, and smart matching that only shows you shifts you can actually do.

If you’re ready to take control of your healthcare career and explore the flexibility that comes from combining different types of work, the tools are there to make it much simpler than it used to be.

Ready to Explore Your Options?

Flexzo Ai’s Collaborative Staff Bank brings together NHS bank opportunities and locum shifts in one intelligent platform. Upload your documents once, set your availability, and let the smart matching system show you opportunities that fit your life.

Join thousands of healthcare professionals who’ve discovered a better way to manage their flexible careers. Your skills are needed, your time is valuable, and your career should work for you.