The RACGP’s General Practice: Health of the Nation report provides annual insights and draws on specifically commissioned research spanning six years to highlight point-in-time and longer-term trends in Australian general practice.
This year’s report focuses on the sustainability of general practice, highlighting concerning issues that have arisen after years of chronic underfunding, including:
burnout among the profession
unsustainable workload and mounting administrative and regulatory burden impacting on the provision of patient care
a declining interest in the profession as a preferred career path and a declining willingness from current GPs to recommend the profession as a career.
worsening workforce issues with increasing numbers of GPs intending to retire or cease practicing over the next 10 years
underfunding of general practice and the unsustainability of general practice as a business.
In response to the findings of the report, the RACGP has called a General Practice Crisis Summit in Canberra on 5 October to tackle the most pressing issues affecting patient care.