GPs concerns about ‘out of control’ admin workload should be wakeup call for government: RACGP

The administrative and compliance burden on GPs is taking time away from patient care, according to early findings from the Royal Australian College of GPs annual General Practice: Health of the Nation 2024 report. 

The RACGP’s nationwide survey of general practitioners which informs the report found a significant increase in GPs concern about their administrative workload – from 60% in 2023 to 70% in 2024.  

It’s the top reason GPs gave for why they were planning on stopping practising in the next five years. 66% said a reduction in compliance would encourage them to stay working as a GP for longer. 

RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said: “This should be a wakeup call for the Federal Government – even a small reduction in the admin burden on GPs will make a big difference for Australian patients because we’ll have more time for patient care. 

“GPs have the highest qualifications in primary care with over 10 years training. Our time is best spent focusing on our patients and helping them live healthier and happier lives, which reduces pressure on Australia’s hospitals and ambulances.  

"As a GP, I want to be spending my time listening to and helping my patients, rather than filling out forms to tick a box for various government agencies. 

“But the reality is that GPs like me are forced to spend hours on compliance and reporting for overly complex Medicare rules and filling out long government forms that don’t integrate with practice software. 

"It’s a waste of the extensive medical training, skills and experience Australia’s GPs have. 

"The good news for the Government is there is a simple and effective way to increase access to essential healthcare for Australians – reduce the unnecessary admin workload for GPs, so we have more time for our patients. 

“One quick fix would be to scrap PBS authority systems which force GPs to make a phone call or use a clunky online portal to prescribe certain medications. This sees GPs waiting on hold for ages and battling to process requests online – it’s all valuable time that could be spent seeing patients. 

“We’re also calling on the Government to reduce the length and duplication of information required for Centrelink, the National Disability Scheme, and Department of Veterans Affairs forms and make them compatible with general practice clinical systems. Reducing the amount of time GPs spend filling out forms means more time for patient care.  

“Federal and state governments can also free up a significant amount of GP time by simplifying overly complex hospital referrals. Currently GPs need to write these referrals on a specific template for each hospital unit, as well as tracking down the head of the unit and including their full name. If all the details aren’t correct the referral is rejected – it's often a big headache and time drain for GPs. 

“Australians value the relationship they have with their GPs highly, and it’s what makes Australia healthier. Freeing up GP time for patients should be something all politicians get behind.”