Healthcare recruiter HCL Thames Medics, part of Healthcare Locums (HCL), has launched a new specialist business focusing on consultant grade doctors.

Operating from a new Leeds-based office, Thames Medics Consultants will recruit locum consultants for the NHS and independent hospitals throughout the UK.

Thames Medics adds that it has witnessed an upturn in requirements for locum consultants and by the end of the year anticipates doubling the size of its specialist recruitment team in Leeds to meet this rising demand.

Kirsten Simcoe, managing director of HCL Doctors, which incorporates Thames Medics, says: “We are seeing huge demand from our clients for locum consultants, driven by the UK’s ageing and growing population. At the same time, a growing number of consultants are finding locum work attractive as they like the variety and flexibility it affords.”