GP appointments are getting longer and care is becoming more complex, but GPs remain focused on their patients' health – and patient satisfaction is rising.
Those are some of the key findings from the Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) 2025 Health of the Nation report, launched today at Parliament House in Canberra.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright celebrated its release, saying that while the findings demonstrate the increasing complexity of care in Australia, they also show GPs are more committed to patients and their health than ever. "GPs are invaluable to Australia's healthcare system," he said. "They saw around 22.6 million patients in the last year for over 172 million health services making them the most commonly accessed health professional in the Australian healthcare system.
"GPs are providing more complex care than ever, on the same per-patient government spending as a decade ago, and supporting affordable and accessible healthcare that keeps patients out of expensive hospitals for longer.
"Nearly all Australians can access a GP when they need to, and the report shows how GPs are doing all they can to make the care our patients need both affordable and accessible."
According to the report, which surveyed more than 2400 GPs and provides a vital insight into trends in general practice, 86% of GPs manage conditions they expect non-GP specialists would typically treat, most often due to cost and patients' limited access to non-GP specialists.
It found the average GP consultation is now nearly 20 minutes, an 11% increase since 2022.
Yet fewer people report waiting longer than acceptable to see a GP than in previous years, and recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows more than half of all patients with urgent issues were able to see a GP within 24 hours.
"Almost three quarters of GPs manage conditions that would usually be treated in a hospital emergency department or urgent care," Dr Wright said.
"That reflects what we've said many times – almost every general practice offers urgent care."
The RACGP President also said the report shows Medicare must change to adequately fund preventive and complex care in long consults.
"Rates of chronic disease and mental health presentations are on the rise, our population is ageing, and 68% of GPs pinpointed the increasing complexity of patient presentations as the greatest challenge facing the profession," he said. "It also highlighted a significant missed opportunity when it comes to preventive care; 84% of GPs want to provide more preventive care, but only one in three have the time to provide it to their patients. "Although GPs face various professional challenges including increasing complexity of care, lack of work-life balance and burnout, the 2025 Health of the Nation report highlighted that job satisfaction is still high [71%], and GPs are committed to spending time with their patients." Patients are more satisfied too, with 99% reporting they could see a GP when they needed to, 91% feeling they their GP listened carefully, and 80% having a preferred GP.
"GPs are the first point of care for most people in our communities and there's no substitute for the quality care you get from a GP who knows you and your history," Dr Wright said. "The Government has recognised the unique value of GPs with record investments in general practice training and Medicare, and we know that funding gets results. "We need to secure the future of general practice with meaningful investment to reduce patient out of pocket costs, and this means increasing patient rebates for longer consultations – particularly in rural and remote communities. "Investing in patient rebates and GP training now will make essential healthcare affordable for all Australians and echo through the health of generations."
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