Category: Announcements

Locumate Announcements – Locumate is Australia’s number one locum marketplace.

A 2021 wrap up

Posted on | by Niamh Foley

There’s no doubt that 2021 has been stressful, confusing, unpredictable and daunting. From mice plagues and football bubbles to vaccinations and a Victorian earthquake, this year might be one we’d all prefer to forget. But there have been some stand out moments for Locumate, for the pharmacy industry, and for our community in general that are worth reflecting on before heading into 2022. 

Lockdowns, social distancing and PPE 

Never have more Australians tuned into daily press conferences by state and territory premiers and health officers. And pharmacies, like many others, had to change the way they worked on a weekly, sometimes daily basis. QR codes, social distancing in stores, and click and collect became a regular part of our vocabulary, and a regular part of how we operated. Throughout lockdowns, pharmacies were deemed an essential service, so remained open, but lockdowns and travel restrictions meant pharmacies might have started serving more customers online. 

Another important factor was – and continues to be – personal protective equipment (PPE). Staff and customers were required to wear PPE throughout 2021, and pharmacies were a large supplier of PPE to Australians, too. From masks and face shields to gloves and hand sanitiser, pharmacists had to work hard – and in different ways – to meet consumer demand. 

Vaccinations 

Another incredibly important call out in 2021 for pharmacies – and for everyone – was of course, vaccinations. With pharmacies authorised to supply and administer COVID-19 vaccinations, pharmacists played a mammoth role in Australia’s vaccination roll out. With booster shots well and truly here, pharmacists will continue to do lots of the vaccination heavy lifting well into 2022. 

Virtual events 

Plenty of pharmacy events this year were all hosted virtually. While this was exciting and again demonstrated our industry’s resilience and willingness to adapt, as a newly launched business, we’re excited to get back to face to face and start meeting our members in person! 

Locumate launch 

I can’t wrap up 2021 without a mention of launching Locumate! In October, we launched a phased roll out of Locumate across Victoria, with the rest of Australia to follow. The launch is a culmination of years of hard work, risks, plenty of sweat, even more tears, and a burning desire to give pharmacists and locums a better way of working. 

There’s no mistaking that 2021 was like no other, but I know that we’re absolutely ready for anything that 2022 throws at us. Bring it on. 

Kavi 

 Find out more at: https://locumate.com.au/ 

A focus on our company values

Posted on | by Niamh Foley

Introducing Locumate: Our Mission and Vision

As the co-founder of Locumate, it’s no secret that I’m often asked about the organisation and our company values. I’m asked about how the platform works, how the idea came about, or what features we’re working on next. I’m asked about the technology behind the app, the payroll and invoicing, and how we’re making the lives of pharmacies and locums easier. But I’m also asked about what we believe in. What we stand for as a company. What it’s like to work at Locumate. And as a growing organisation, I wanted to share these values with you, with our broader community, and beyond.

Company Values: The Importance of Integrity

We treat everyone with respect and equality. We believe in a level playing field for everyone and strive to make sure that we’re fair in everything we do. A big part of that is communication. We offer transparency across the board for employees and customers through honest and open communication. We know that we might not always get it right – and that’s OK – but we will always communicate and consult with our community every step of the way.

Innovation: The Heartbeat of Locumate

We’re a startup app in the pharmacy sector. Of course, innovation is a huge part of our DNA. We’re here to change the way things have been done for decades. To think of better solutions. To be faster and make it easier for our customers, all while harnessing technology to help us innovate. We encourage creativity, thinking outside the box, and challenging the norm.

Locumate’s Work Culture: Fostering Fun and Creativity

We’re not your regular marketplace app, and we hope that comes across in what we offer, how we communicate, and how we solve problems. We value humour, enjoying the work we do, and celebrating every success along the way, no matter how small. We work hard to deliver positive outcomes to the people we serve, but also to create a fulfilling and exciting environment.

A Customer-focused Approach: Keeping Pharmacies and Locums at the Forefront

An app that serves pharmacies and locums isn’t going to work unless they’re at the forefront of every decision we make. We’re customer-led and pull out all stops to make the satisfaction of our customers paramount. Because without them, we can’t exist.

Keeping it Simple: Locumate’s Philosophy

I have a pharmacy background, not a technology or business background, and it’s easy to get caught up in the complexities and complications of systems, processes and over-engineering. We know that the simplest solution is usually the best one, so we remove the clutter and the noise and only keep what’s actually useful. It doesn’t mean the work isn’t difficult or complex – it is – but it does mean that we always try to design logically and sustainably. We know that keeping things simple now will put us in great stead for the future.

Looking Ahead: Locumate’s Future

We’re so excited to continue to help build and scale Locumate over the years ahead, and I truly believe that by staying true to ourselves, partnering with people and organisations with aligned values, and tapping into the wonderful network of pharmacies and locums across Australia, we’ll be in for one incredible journey.

Find out more at: https://locumate.com.au/

How Locumate is changing the invoicing experience

Posted on | by Niamh Foley

Revolutionising Locum Pharmacy: Changing the Invoicing Experience

From using multiple systems to handwriting paper invoices, locum pharmacists haven’t always been paid in a simple or straightforward way Locumate is changing the invoicing experience and paving the way for efficiency and convenience. Let’s be honest: it’s confusing, time consuming and deeply frustrating.

Visit the AppStore or Google Playstore to download Locumate.

The Hassle of Old Invoicing Methods

The traditional method of getting paid required locums to submit their own timesheets and invoices manually – a process that can consume hours of a locum’s time, creating an administrative burden no one needs. On top of that, our community research shows that in some instances, it can take up to three months for locums to get paid.

Locumate: Automating Invoicing

We know that there’s a better way and we’re excited to be part of the solution. At Locumate, we’re changing the invoicing experience by automating invoicing so pharmacies and locums can get back to doing what they do best: providing a great service to their customers.

How It Works: Simple and Secure

As soon as a locum finishes their shift, they submit a timesheet via our app. Then, the pharmacy approves it with the click of a button. From there, our secure payment feature creates an automatic invoice to the pharmacy on behalf of the locum, and this can be paid quickly online.

A Real World Perspective

Alan, a locum pharmacist in Caulfield South, says “I do a lot of shifts in different pharmacies and raising an invoice every time I work means I can be generating four or five invoices a week. It gets a bit messy.” Locumate offers a streamlined, reliable solution to this common issue.

Efficiency and Compliance for Pharmacies

For pharmacies on Locumate, all submitted invoices are approved, tracked and audited, and reporting functionality allows easy access for compliance.

A Future-focused Approach

We hope that this is just the start of an improved experience for locums and pharmacies. With exciting additions on the horizon, we’re keen to take the confusion, time, and effort out of invoicing, effectively changing the invoicing experience.

After all, no one gets into pharmacy to spend their time invoicing.

Open for business

Posted on | by Niamh Foley

With 80 per cent of Victoria expected to be fully vaccinated this week (16+ years), it’s time to start thinking about what this might mean for pharmacies and locums alike as we open for business.

For pharmacies, an ease of restrictions across the state might mean:

  • Returning to regular staff rostering 
  • Preparing for locum staff, particularly in the event a staff member is unwell, needs time off for COVID testing, or requires flexibility 
  • Planning for communication to your staff and customers 
  • Designing your pharmacy customer experience in terms of store layout, check-in instructions or vaccination certificate checks 

For locum pharmacists, an ease of restrictions might mean:

  • More opportunities for locum work as pharmacies fill vacancies, increase staff to meet in-person demand, and build strong rostering and back-up plans 
  • The ability to fill locum shifts in multiple locations as state-wide restrictions ease 
  • The ability to travel further for work as lockdowns and travel restrictions are lifted

Locumate can help both pharmacies and locums as COVID-19 restrictions ease across Victoria. Find out more at: https://locumate.com.au/ 

We’re live: Locumate has launched!

Posted on | by Niamh Foley

Kavita Nadan – Locumate Co-Founder

 

I’ve spent the last couple of years imagining, designing, building and testing the idea of a platform for pharmacies and locums to connect directly. I’ve spent an equal amount of time reimagining, redesigning, rebuilding, and retesting everything we thought we knew. So today, it brings me great joy to announce the launch of Locumate! 

The launch is a phased roll out across Victoria, with the rest of Australia to follow. As a pharmacist, I’ve had first-hand experience on both sides of our platform; as a bright-eyed bushy tailed pharmacy graduate looking for work, and as a pharmacy manager, desperately wrangling last-minute locum shifts through agencies I had no control or oversight of. 

It’s this experience that led to the genesis of Locumate. The feeling that there just had to be a better way, for everyone involved. A way to give pharmacies control of asking for what they need, simplicity in a booking process, and transparency in who they work with and what they’ll be charged. Equally for locums, we wanted a way to choose where and when they’d like to work, clarity over how much they’ll be paid before taking a job, and a seamless way to get paid and view their shifts.

As we forged ahead with this project, it dawned on us that we weren’t alone thinking that there had to be a solution. I’ve always valued innovation, building, failing and learning quickly. But the best way to innovate and to learn is to put your product in the hands of your customers, and to involve them in every step of the way. So we did. A group of pharmacies and locums have been trialling Locumate, and have shared what they think:

“All I’ve done so far is set it up and approve a couple of time sheets. That was all easy. I got an email saying that there were submitted timesheets and to please action, which I was able to do easily. I’d recommend it, we use a lot of locums here. So far so good!” – J.,Pharmacy Manager.  

“Locumate has got a lot of merit, I can’t see much fault at all. I like the way it tells you in advance when your shifts are. I like it very very much. I think it’s a very clever step forward in the right direction.” – A., locum. 

I’m incredibly proud to launch Locumate today, but I’m more excited for what’s ahead. I’m passionate about building an empowered community of pharmacies and locums, and I think this starts by giving our community choices that they’ve never had before. This includes the ability to make decisions over how they’d like to work, develop and learn together, plus a digital solution to bring it all together.  

We know that there’s a better way, and we’d love for you to come on the journey with us. This is just the beginning. 

Kavi