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The National Association of Sessional GPs (NASGP) is a membership organisation for GPs living and working across the UK. They primarily serve GP locums and salaried GPs, a workforce that is critical to the smooth operation of healthcare across the country.
One of NASGP’s standout offerings is LocumDeck, a platform that matches GP practices with locums – temporary staff for GPs – allowing them to hire with the click of a button. This simple but effective tool has transformed how GP practices find temporary staff.
However, ensuring locums were effectively matched with practices was a challenge.
By integrating the TravelTime API, NASGP was able to use real-world travel times as a data point to aid better matching of available staff and job locations.
“TravelTime gave us exactly what we needed – it’s fast, accurate, and cost-effective.”
Dr. Richard Fieldhouse
Chairman and Founder of NASGP
This enhanced their platform, making the process of matching GP locums and practices faster, more accurate, and cost-effective.
Accurate matching based on real-world data
Saving thousands of GBP every month vs. Google
Reliable, always-on solution
The Challenge of Efficient Matching
Like any shift matching service, matching GP locums to practices isn’t just about filling a vacancy—it’s about finding the right fit for both the staff and the employer.
With over 21,000 GP locums in England and around 6,000 practices, NASGP needed to ensure that locums could reliably get to their shifts on time and potentially manage multiple appointments in a day.
Before TravelTime, NASGP relied on postcode lookups and straight-line distance calculations through Google. While this approach was a starting point, it didn’t reflect the reality of commuting times, especially in cities or rural areas where travel distances and times can vary dramatically.
As Dr. Richard Fieldhouse, Chairman and Founder of NASGP, says:
"We needed a way to ensure locums could get to practices on time and manage their day effectively. TravelTime gave us exactly what we needed – it’s fast, accurate, and cost-effective."
The NASGP solution had to be accurate, but it also had to be scalable. NASGP needed a system that could calculate hundreds of travel times simultaneously without slowing down the user experience or increasing costs. However, this proved challenging with many providers due to their outdated pricing models.
TravelTime vs. Google
For NASGP, the switch from Google to TravelTime was about performance, reliability, and affordability.
Dr. Richard Fieldhouse, Chairman and Founder of NASGP, shares: “Initially Google worked well, but as our business scaled, the pricing became untenable. It was critical for us to find an affordable solution that maintained excellent customer support.”
Google’s pricing model, which charges per element of data used, makes calculating hundreds of travel times prohibitively expensive—costing NASGP thousands of GBP more every month than they now pay for TravelTime.
“None matched the combination of functionality, performance, and affordability that TravelTime offered.”Dr. Richard Fieldhouse
Chairman and Founder of NASGP
The TravelTime API provides NASGP with the precise travel time data they need to ensure locums could get from their starting location to one practice to another efficiently. It also integrated seamlessly into their existing system, providing real-time updates and maintaining coverage across the entire UK.
"We explored other options, but none matched the combination of functionality, performance, and affordability that TravelTime offered," adds Dr. Fieldhouse. "The team’s responsiveness and the robust customer support gave us the confidence that we were making the right choice."
How TravelTime works
The API calculates journey times between practices and locums, ensuring that matches are based on actual commute times rather than straight-line distances, as well as other key factors like experience level and salary.
When a person makes themselves available for work, LocumDeck automatically calculates which practices are within a reasonable commuting distance.
It also takes into account the time needed to travel between two locations for staff working morning and afternoon sessions. This means that locums are only matched with jobs they can realistically get to, making the process more efficient for users.
The API continuously works in the background of LocumDeck, instantly calculating hundreds of travel times for each locum every time the system is used. This ensures a seamless experience for both locums and GP practices.
Key Impacts of TravelTime
Accurate matching for seamless scheduling
Users are matched with practices based on accurate, real-world travel times, ensuring they can reach appointments on time and manage multiple sessions without hassle.
Cost-effective scalability
TravelTime’s pricing model allows LocumDeck to efficiently calculate hundreds of travel times without the costs skyrocketing, making it perfect for large-scale use.
Reliable, always-on solution
The TravelTime API runs smoothly in the background of the NASGP matching platform, delivering real-time updates with zero downtime, ensuring uninterrupted service for locums and practices alike.
The impact of TravelTime’s integration has been transformative.
It has enabled NASGP to deliver a more accurate and efficient service through its LocumDeck platform for both the temporary staff and hiring teams. GP practices can be confident that the staff they book will arrive on time, and locums can plan their day with precision, knowing exactly how long it will take to travel between appointments.
This leads to better outcomes for both locums and GP practices. For locums, they avoid stressful commutes and late arrivals, improving their job satisfaction and the overall experience of working with NASGP.
For practices, it means they can depend on staff to arrive on time and provide uninterrupted patient care.
Dr. Fieldhouse summarises the impact:
"The integration of TravelTime is essential for ensuring smooth, uninterrupted patient care. The API works quietly in the background, delivering the precise data we need. It's been 100% reliable and has significantly improved the experience for both locums and practices."
Want to Match More Effectively?
If you’re looking to improve the way you match candidates to roles, the TravelTime API offers an efficient and cost-effective solution.
It helps organisations ensure their staff, clients, or customers can travel to locations on time, making planning and logistics simpler.
Whether you need to match people based on travel times, optimise routes, or ensure seamless coordination between locations, TravelTime can help.
Get in touch with TravelTime today and see how location-based matching can drive better outcomes for your business. Or developers can start your free trial here.