It is difficult to get a hold of a general practitioner (GP) due to a combination of growing patient demand, a shortage of healthcare professionals, limited funding for practices, and challenges with staffing and appointment systems [1].
Backlog, chronic underfunding, rising demand, longer referrals for Hospitals meaning more patients requiring monitoring in Primary Care, drop in quality of life, Winter Pressures... Take your pick, that's just a handful of factors at play.
Demand for GP services is increasing because our population is changing. Between June 2019 and June 2023, the Australian population grew by 5.2%. But more importantly, our population is ageing. Over the same period, the number of people aged 65 years and over increased by 13.1%.
Consultation rates per patient have increased, leading to GPs and their teams working harder than ever to prioritise patient care. General Practice is dealing with increased patient list sizes, an ageing population, and more complex health needs.
Instead, when you make your appointment, allow for at least an additional half-hour leeway. I think it's reasonable if you have to wait around 30 minutes.
Some of the “red flags” are: The patient is from out of state. The patient requests a specific drug. The patient states that an alternative drug does not work.
Simply put, as the population ages, demand for primary care is growing, but the supply is dwindling. You could point to three key reasons: One, many primary care practitioners are retiring because of aging and burnout. The average age of U.S. primary care doctors is now 55, with retirement most often at age 65.
What is Jess's Rule? Jess's Rule asks GP teams to 'reflect, review and rethink' if a patient presents three times with the same or escalating symptoms. Reflect: Think back on what the patient has said and consider what has changed or been missed. Offer ongoing episodic continuity of care for future direct patient care.
Fewer doctors are looking after greater numbers of patients
Factors causing this can include partner retirements, the inability to recruit staff or GP partners. Whilst the GP workforce has been declining, the number of patients continues to increase, demonstrating the ever-mounting workload in general practice.
You can find out which GPs are available in your local area using the HSE's Health Atlas. Sometimes GP practices have a full list of patients and cannot take on new patients. In this case, you should go to another GP practice in your area.
These hard-to-diagnose diseases often include digestive and autoimmune disorders.
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The average annual salary for General Practitioner jobs in Australia ranges from $215,000 to $235,000.
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From today (1 October 2025), patients will be able to request appointments, ask questions and describe symptoms online throughout the day rather than calling their surgery or visiting in person. This will help free up practice phone lines for those who need them most, and make it more convenient to access appointments.
If this happens, you should try another GP in the area and explain that your first choice has been refused. You can also contact the Patient Advice and Support Service for more help.
Depending on what you need, you might be advised to:
About 85% of physicians are married, according to an online survey, and these doctors often marry other doctors or other health professionals.
Under the new GP contract, nearly half of the targets (32 of 76) that GPs must report their progress against will be removed. The reforms will free up GPs from pointless box-ticking, so they can spend more time treating patients and delivering the government's promise to bring back the family doctor.
Under Jess's Rule, GP teams are encouraged to critically re-evaluate a diagnosis if a patient presents three times with the same or escalating symptoms or concerns and an existing treatment plan that is not working.
The European Union of General Practitioners and BMA have recommended a safe level of patient contacts per day in order for a GP to deliver safe care at not more than 25 contacts per day.
You can change your preferred GP within your registered practice at any time. You can also register with a different practice if you meet the eligibility requirements and the practice is also registered.
Despite the Government declaring that all remaining Covid-restrictions were dropped on 16 August, some GPs and dentists are among primary healthcare providers which remain under lockdown conditions with face to face appointments being significantly reduced and thousands of appointments being cancelled.
You can only be given medication after an initial 3-month period in either of the following situations: You consent to taking the medication. A SOAD confirms that you lack capacity. You haven't given consent, but a SOAD confirms that this treatment is appropriate to be given.
There's no universally agreed-upon duration, but for straightforward, routine appointments (like your annual physical, a Pap smear, a prescription refill, etc.), the physicians I spoke with say that, generally, 20–30 minutes past your scheduled time is the outer bounds of acceptable—meaning if you've been waiting that ...