Chris Bennett: Locums should be the exception not the rule

Who cares who delivers their pizza or who, within reason, drops them off at the airport? Convenience and flexibility is great isn’t it? Only to a point.

The gig economy has created a sea change in the way people work but adopting gig type practices in health raises questions that deserve to be answered.

Gig employers, often very large, and gig employees, often very young, both cite the liberating influence of the internet in matching supply with demand, bringing benefits to all.

We can all enjoy a takeaway or a cheap cab but this primary-coloured caricature of mutual exploitation doesn’t tell the whole story. Clearly, if cost is being taken out of the equation so is value. National Insurance and tax receipts are lower from the gig world but more importantly skill, training and the longevity of customer relationships are lost. Also, young people grow up.