The Medical Chambers: September 2026
Dear Colleagues,
I hope everyone has had a lovely summer and managed to enjoy some well-deserved time away, hopefully with a little sunshine along the way!
As we head into autumn, we have a number of unfilled sessions available, so please do take a look on ImpaxHub and see if there are any opportunities that work well for you. Don’t forget, September and October are typically quieter times but there are sessions if you are looking. We’re hopeful that session requests from our network of practices will increase as we head towards a winter demand.
We do still have some sessions that go unfilled, so with this in mind, we’re looking to take on more new members who may be able to help pick up ad-hoc sessions when they have availability.
We always try to maintain a good balance between our regular working members, covering holidays and planned leave, and ensuring we have enough capacity to cover any sessions that might otherwise be lost. Bringing a few new members on board will help us maintain that flexibility and ensure we can continue to offer good cover when needed.
A reminder too that our online clinical meeting is taking place Thursday 24th Sept. As always, we’d really encourage members to get involved and share anything they feel would be valuable to the group — whether that’s a significant event, an interesting or complex case, a clinical learning point, or even a positive experience or example of good practice from somewhere you have worked recently.
These meetings are a great opportunity for us to learn from each other, share experiences and ideas, and have open discussions around some of the challenges we face in our day-to-day clinical work. Everyone’s experience and perspective are valuable, so please do feel welcome to contribute.
You can also contact us at any time for support, and we are especially keen to be contacted in case of complaints as we have experience in dealing with these difficult and emotive issues.
I look forward to catching up with you all this month and continuing to share and learn together.
With warm regards,
Sarah and Kirsty
Refer a Friend Scheme
We have a Refer a Friend scheme here at Chambers. If you know a GP who may be interested in joining us, please pass our details on to them and ask them to email their CV to admin@medical-chambers.com, along with details of where they are looking to work.
We can then look at where we may have gaps in our current membership and see whether there are any suitable opportunities. If we don’t have anything available immediately, we can keep their details on our waiting list for future opportunities.
New Member Offer: NB Medical Plus subscription
We keep track of the hours you work, so as soon as you reach 60 hours, we’ll be in touch!
BLS
There are drop in BLS sessions available provided by Harrogate Hospital. No need to book, you attend, they invoice you £30 afterwards, see dates available for the last quarter of 2026.
Member Spotlight – Let us introduce Dr Rachael Kay
Rachael has joined Chambers after the summer and is looking for a couple sessions along side her salaried post and specialist interest.
- Tell us a little bit about you! Rachael Kay - GP partner and have spent the last 12 years learning all about hair, from transplanting to female consults too!
- What was your first job? I worked on Bury Market for £20 / day!
- Why did you choose the field you are in? Working as a GPWSI In Derm brought home to me the impact hair loss has on people, and it all started from there.
- An achievement you are most proud of. Most lately, aside from the children it’s doing a coaching programme for medics interested in entrepreneurial ideas and all that comes with the change of mindset and self-belief. Hadn’t done anything like this prior!
- What does retirement look like? Freedom, travel Joy!
- What is your go to morning beverage? Tea
- What does a perfect day off look like to you. Coffee, brunch, day on a farm/ adventure playground with the children followed by a roast dinner and glass of red! Or alternatively a day on my own in a spa
- Book or movie recently read or seen and would recommend and why. Yikes haven’t watched anything for myself in so long! Working through the Feel the Fear and do it anyway audiobook and would recommend.
- Oldest item in your closet. Dresses I would say. Probably so old could be classed as vintage.
- A super power you would like to have and why. Multitasking. So many things to do and so little time.
Stay connected with The Medical Chambers
Communication Channels:
- WhatsApp Groups: We have two active WhatsApp groups (East and West) for instant clinical support, updates, and discussions. Members can choose to join one or both groups. Sarah and Kirsty manage both groups.
- Not on WhatsApp? Reach out to us, and we'll be happy to welcome you to the group.
- Out of Office Hours: Contact Carole or Sarah via ImpaxHub's Emergency Contact function (sends an email to admin@medical-chambers.com).
- Office Hours (Mon-Fri, 8 AM - 5 PM): Call us at 01904 297 995 or send a message via WhatsApp (for work-related enquiries only) at xxxxx xxxxxx.
Resources for Members:
- NB Medical: Access a wealth of free medical content by creating an account on NB Medical using the code xxxxxxxxxx.
- 14 Fish Discount: Chambers members receive a 15% discount on the 14 Fish Appraisal Toolkit.
- NB Plus Discount: Existing 14 Fish customers can get NB Plus for £295 (usually £345). New Chambers members will receive a free 1-year NB Plus subscription (terms and conditions apply).
- The Medical Chambers Handbook: Early this year we updated our Handbook, this does get emailed out to new members once signed up but please reach out if you would like a copy sending again
Recommend a Practice and Earn £150!
Refer a practice to The Medical Chambers. Once they register, book, and pay for a session, you'll receive a £150 bonus directly deposited into your bank account. Contact admin@medical-chambers.com with the practice's contact information (name, phone number, email) to get started.
Refer a Friend: A £250 referral payment will be made for each successful member referral, provided the new member works a minimum of 60 hours
Where can you find us:
https://www.medical-chambers.com/
https://www.facebook.com/themedicalchambers
https://www.instagram.com/the_medical_chambers/
Membership plans
We always like to know if your circumstances have changed, so do reach out if you need to;
- Are you planning to stay on with Chambers still?
- Have you found alternative work and no longer require Chambers' support? If so, please let us know so we can archive your ImpaxHub profile and remove you from our distribution list.
- Have there been any changes to your career path (e.g., partnerships, salaried positions) that might have reduced your need for sessions?
- Have you got work that's taken/taking you away from Chambers? We do have members that come back to us after a hiatus so do keep us in the loop if its only temporary, we would rather not lose you completely but at least know you still need us at some point.
As a reminder, The Medical Chambers offers:
- Sessional booking service: Access to our network of practices requests.
- Full administrative support: Including booking, invoicing, NHS pension, workflow, and IT support.
- Clinical governance and CPD: Education for appraisals and revalidation support through NB Medical and our Clinical Leads.
- An admin team that works Mon to Fri 8-5pm: We can help with as much or as little as you need us, we can be a useful middleman between you and a practice when needed
Your membership fee is 10% + VAT for every month you work through us. We actively promote your availability (if its listed) twice a week and provide you with a system that shows you all the sessions our network of practices needs.
We're committed to making freelance work as stress-free as possible and helping you avoid the isolation that can come with locum work.
Please don't hesitate to get in touch and let us know where you stand.
We know many of you are consistently looking for work and actively use our services. However, if your situation has changed, please let us know so we can adjust our records accordingly.
Alumni Members
Understanding Alumni Members
Some members of our network may be referred to as "Alumni."
- Who are Alumni? Alumni are former Chambers members who have stepped back from regular locum work but wish to maintain their connection with the Chambers community. Their ImpaxHub profile is archived to prevent them from receiving daily "Find Work" emails.
Benefits of Alumni Membership:
- Support and Guidance: Alumni often provide valuable support, knowledge, and wisdom to current members through channels like WhatsApp groups and meetings.
- Networking Opportunities: Maintaining an Alumni connection allows you to stay connected with the Chambers network and potentially benefit from valuable contacts within the community. They continue to be invited to monthly meetings and social gatherings
Feedback from members on practices you have worked at?
We'd love to hear about your recent experiences at the practices you've worked with. Your insights are invaluable and can greatly benefit other members of our community!
Please share any feedback via email or WhatsApp, especially concerning:
Template layouts, car parking, useful practice contacts you discovered. Any "locum hacks" that made your shifts smoother or more efficient.
Don't Forget Practice Alerts! 🚨
Before your next shift, remember to check the practice alerts in ImpaxHub. This is where we add important, up-to-date information that could be relevant to your work. Staying informed helps everyone!
Upcoming meetings or social gatherings
Our meetings are now held bi-monthly on the last Tuesday or Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM, excluding school holidays.
All meetings are bookable through Eventbrite, with upcoming dates listed on our Eventbrite page. We encourage all members to register their interest in advance to ensure you don’t miss out.
We greatly value the wealth of knowledge and expertise within our membership and warmly welcome event and speaker proposals from both current members and our esteemed alumni.
If you have a topic or idea you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you!
| Date | Time | Topic |
| Thursday 24th Sept 2026 | 7-8.30pm | Clinical Nuggets |
| Tuesday 24th Nov 2026 | 7-8.30pm | Clinical Nuggets |
Meeting links will be sent via Eventbrite to book a place but do save the dates!
Useful Updates
We will continue to circulate slides and relevant links following chambers monthly meetings.
The following are regular update general newsletters you can subscribe to:
https://www.westyorkshire.icb.nhs.uk/
https://www.england.nhs.uk/gp/
Congratulations!
Back in July, Sarah from our Admin Team took part in Endure24 Leeds, a 24-hour running event where participants complete as many laps of a 5-mile course as possible within 24 hours.
With the generous support of colleagues, Chambers members, friends and family, Sarah raised an incredible £1,490 for charity. She personally completed 50 miles during the event, 10 whole laps alongside her running friend Diane, who also took part.
Here you can see Sarah and Diane pictured with some of the members of their running club who also took on the challenge.
Sarah would like to say a massive thank you to everyone at Chambers for their incredible generosity and support. It really means a lot and helped make the challenge even more worthwhile.
All funds raised will go towards supporting Macmillan Cancer Support.
