National Locums
National Locums is a UK-based medical recruitment agency founded in 2009 that places locum doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and GPs into NHS trusts and independent hospitals across all four UK national health services and select overseas markets. It operates as preferred supplier on major NHS procurement frameworks and runs a sales-led recruitment platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersMilton Keynes, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What National Locums does
National Locums is a UK-based medical locum recruitment agency founded in 2009 by David Cook, his wife Jen, and his brother Glenn, headquartered in Milton Keynes and operating as part of the family-owned Cook Investment Group. The company supplies locum doctors, nurses, allied health professionals (AHPs), general practitioners (GPs), and care workers to NHS trusts and independent hospitals across all four UK national health services, with additional placements into Australia, the Middle East, and the Channel Islands. Its primary customer base is NHS Trusts, supplemented by independent hospitals and Crown Dependencies/overseas public-sector clients.
The company's product surface centers on a sales-led recruitment platform comprising a live online job board, a 2-minute fast-track registration portal, dedicated recruitment consultant matching, compliance validation (independently audited at 98.5% Platinum under the HealthTrust Europe Total Workforce Solutions Framework), and engagement models spanning PAYE, Personal Services Company, and Umbrella Company arrangements. Distribution is anchored by preferred-supplier status on all major NHS procurement frameworks — NHS Collaborative Procurement Partnership, HealthTrust Europe, NHS Shared Business Services, GIG Cymru NHS Wales, HSCNI, NHS National Services Scotland, and the Crown Commercial Service — alongside Channel Islands and Isle of Man government supply agreements.
National Locums generates revenue through contingency-based placement fees on successful temporary (locum) and permanent placements of healthcare professionals, having reported revenues above £19M in the most recent Fast 50 financial year. The company employs roughly 100 staff with a stated growth target of 130, ranked 9th in Recruiter Magazine's Fast 50 and listed in the Recruiter Hot 100 (2024), with Platinum-rated compliance audits and Best Companies two-star accreditation supporting its positioning as a top-tier UK medical staffing provider.
National Locums firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- National Locums
- Legal name
- National Locums Limited
- Website
- https://nationallocums.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- National Locums is a UK-based medical recruitment agency founded in 2009 that places locum doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and GPs into NHS trusts and independent hospitals across all four UK national health services and select overseas markets. It operates as preferred supplier on major NHS procurement frameworks and runs a sales-led recruitment platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
National Locums industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Healthcare Staffing / Medical Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Healthcare Clinical & Allied Health Staffing (BPACADAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Healthcare Clinical Direct Hire (Nursing/Allied/Physicians) (BPACAFAH)
Keywords
Where National Locums is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milton Keynes
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
National Locums business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Healthcare Recruitment Placement Fees: Contingency-based recruitment fees for placing doctors, nurses, AHPs, and other healthcare professionals into NHS trusts and independent hospitals. Revenue generated through successful placements on temporary (locum) and potentially permanent basis.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
National Locums product offering
Product offeringCore offering
National Locums is a specialist recruitment agency placing locum doctors, nurses, allied health professionals (AHPs), and locum GPs into NHS trusts and independent hospitals across the UK. The company matches candidates to vacancies through dedicated recruitment consultants and operates an online job board plus a fast-track registration process that allows healthcare professionals to begin working within days. It operates as a preferred supplier on all major UK NHS procurement frameworks.
Product overview
National Locums operates as a medical locum recruitment agency providing end-to-end staffing solutions to the NHS and independent hospitals across the UK. The company offers a unified platform combining doctor, nurse, AHP, and GP placement services, supported by an online job board, fast-track registration system, and refer-a-friend programme. The portfolio functions as an integrated recruitment service where candidates register through the Fast Track system, search live vacancies via the job board portal, and are matched by dedicated recruitment consultants to positions aligned with their specialty skills and preferences. The company operates as preferred supplier across multiple NHS national frameworks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Doctor Locum Placement Services Recruitment and placement of locum doctors across multiple specialties (including Psychiatry, Medicine, Surgery, Radiology, Anaesthetics) and grades (Consultant, Specialty Doctor, SPR, SHO, FY1/FY2) into NHS trusts and independent hospitals throughout the UK.
- Nurse Locum Placement Services Recruitment and placement of locum nurses (including RGN, RMN) and healthcare assistants into NHS trusts and healthcare facilities across the UK.
- AHP Locum Placement Services Recruitment and placement of Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) including physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other allied roles into healthcare organisations.
- Locum GP Placement Services Recruitment and placement of locum General Practitioners into NHS and private healthcare settings, including overseas opportunities in Bermuda, Gibraltar, and the Channel Islands.
- Care and Social Care Locum Services Recruitment and placement of locum care workers across domiciliary care, residential care, and complex care settings, supporting healthcare organisations with flexible care staffing.
Quantifiable outcome
- 98.5% Platinum audit score from Neuven Solutions for HTE Total Workforce Solutions Framework
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use National Locums
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
National Locums technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
National Locums partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NHS Collaborative Procurement PartnershipcorePreferred supplier status enabling supply of locum doctors, nurses, and AHPs to NHS trusts across the UK through this major NHS procurement framework.
- HealthTrust EuropecorePreferred supplier on HTE Total Workforce Solutions Framework. Subject to regular Neuven Solutions compliance audits achieving Platinum ratings.
- HSC Health and Social Care Northern IrelandcoreAppointed to HSCNI National Agency Workers Medical & Dental Framework for supplying medical and dental locums to Northern Ireland trusts.
- NHS Shared Business ServicescorePreferred supplier framework enabling supply of healthcare locums to NHS organizations.
- GIG Cymru NHS WalescoreApproved supplier for providing nurses and other healthcare professionals to NHS Wales organizations.
- NHS National Services ScotlandcoreWon NHS National Services Scotland Framework award, authorized to provide nurses to all 14 of Scotland's territorial health boards.
- Crown Commercial ServicecoreApproved supplier on Crown Commercial Service framework for public sector staffing.
- States of GuernseyminorApproved supplier for providing healthcare locums to Guernsey government health services.
- States of JerseyminorApproved supplier for providing healthcare locums to Jersey government health services.
- Isle of Man GovernmentminorApproved supplier for providing healthcare locums to Isle of Man government health services.
- Cook Investment GroupcoreParent company. Cook Investment Group operates three companies specializing in different aspects of medical recruitment. Group includes National Locums, Locum People Limited, and MediTeam Recruitment Limited.
- Locum People LimitedminorSister company within Cook Investment Group, specializing in medical recruitment.
- MediTeam Recruitment LimitedminorSister company within Cook Investment Group, specializing in medical recruitment.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
National Locums competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ID Medical: ID Medical is one of the UK's largest specialist locum recruitment agencies placing doctors, nurses, AHPs and pharmacists into NHS trusts. Operates on multiple NHS frameworks nationally, directly competing with National Locums in doctor/nurse locum supply.
- Maxxima: Maxxima is a UK specialist recruitment agency focused on healthcare and life sciences locum and permanent placement. It places locum doctors, nurses and AHPs into NHS and independent hospitals, directly comparable to National Locums' core offering.
- Athona: Athona is a UK-based specialist healthcare recruitment agency placing doctors, nurses and AHPs into NHS and private healthcare settings. Direct competitor with similar locum-focused business model and NHS framework presence.
- Pulse Healthcare: Pulse is a specialist UK healthcare staffing agency supplying locum and permanent doctors, nurses and allied health professionals to the NHS and private sector. Direct competitor for the same candidate pool and NHS trust contracts.
- Pertemps Medical: Pertemps Medical is the healthcare arm of Pertemps Network Group, placing locum doctors, nurses and AHPs into NHS trusts across the UK. Operates on similar NHS procurement frameworks, making it a directly comparable specialist competitor.
- Medacs Healthcare: Medacs Healthcare is one of the largest UK locum doctor and nursing recruitment agencies with extensive NHS framework coverage. Directly comparable in scale, model, and target customer base to National Locums.
Broad incumbents
- Reed Specialist Recruitment: Reed is one of the UK's largest generalist recruitment firms with a substantial healthcare division supplying locum doctors and nurses to the NHS. Larger and more diversified than National Locums but competes head-on in locum healthcare staffing.
- Hays (Hays Healthcare): Hays is a global recruitment giant with a dedicated UK Healthcare division placing doctors, nurses and allied health professionals into NHS trusts. A broader incumbent with deeper pockets and international reach, competing with National Locums on NHS framework contracts.
Emerging players
- Locum People: Locum People is a sister company within the same Cook Investment Group, providing medical recruitment services (locum doctors, nurses and AHPs). It is comparable as the closest related entity, although smaller, and competes in the same UK healthcare locum space.
Regional players
- Drake Medox: Drake Medox is part of Drake International and operates in healthcare staffing across the UK and Ireland, placing locum and permanent clinical staff. Comparable business model and customer base though slightly different geographic footprint.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
National Locums social profiles
Digital presenceNational Locums compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance11 records
National Locums financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
National Locums leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
National Locums funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
National Locums M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about National Locums
What does National Locums do?
National Locums is a specialist recruitment agency placing locum doctors, nurses, allied health professionals (AHPs), and locum GPs into NHS trusts and independent hospitals across the UK. The company matches candidates to vacancies through dedicated recruitment consultants and operates an online job board plus a fast-track registration process that allows healthcare professionals to begin working within days. It operates as a preferred supplier on all major UK NHS procurement frameworks.
Is National Locums a public or private company?
National Locums is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was National Locums founded?
National Locums was founded in 2009. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is National Locums based?
National Locums is headquartered in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does National Locums make money?
One revenue line is on record: healthcare Recruitment Placement Fees.
Who are National Locums's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ID Medical, Maxxima, Athona, Pulse Healthcare, Pertemps Medical and Medacs Healthcare. Broad incumbents are Reed Specialist Recruitment and Hays (Hays Healthcare). Locum People is listed as an emerging player. Drake Medox is listed as a regional player.
Does National Locums have an API?
No public API is recorded for National Locums.
What industry is National Locums in?
National Locums's product category is Healthcare Staffing / Medical Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACADAJ, Healthcare Clinical & Allied Health Staffing, with a secondary code of BPACAFAH, Healthcare Clinical Direct Hire (Nursing/Allied/Physicians). Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.