The average cost of a General Practitioner (GP) consult has increased over the past year, according to a new report.
The annualby the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) surveyed more than 3,000 GPs.
It also found that GPs working in health facilities run by First Nations communities have the highest job satisfaction of all GPs in Australia.
Here’s a snapshot of the report’s findings.
22 million: The number of Australians who visited a GP in 2023.
71% of GPs said psychological issues were in the top three reasons for patient consults.
$78.26: This is the average cost for a GP consult in 2024, up from $74.66 in 2023. This amount includes the $41.40rebate. That means the average customer will pay $36.86 out of pocket.
39,449: The number of GPs in Australia in 2023. There are 7,135 general practices/GP centres in Australia.
73% of GPs said they are satisfied with their job in 2024 (up from 66% in 2023)
32% of GPs say they plan to stop practicing in the next five years.
88% of GPs working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health services rated the highest level of satisfaction in their job.
68% of these GPs also said they would recommend being a GP as a career. This is compared to 44% overall.
62% of GPs working in their own, individual practices rated the lowest level of satisfaction with their job.
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Female GPs
The report found female GPs spend more time with a patient on average (20.2 minutes) compared to average 16.7 minutes for male GPs.
RACGP says this is likely because female GPs hold more mental health consults (76%) than male GPs (64%), which are more complex than an average consult.
Training
Due to the ageing population in Australia, the demand for GPs is increasing.
The Health Department predicts that by 2033, Australia will face a shortage of over 5,500 GPs.
While RACGP said it’s “on track to train a record number of GPs in 2025”, it’s calling for government funding to increase workforce numbers.
RACGP also said a 20% increase to Medicare rebates is needed to encourage GPs tomore.
Methodology
This year’s Health of the Nation report is the eighth GP report produced by RACGP.
The body surveyed over 3,000 GPs, including GPs in training, from April to May this year. Around 60% of responses were from major cities and the remaining were from regional, remote, and very remote areas.
The report also uses data from government bodies like the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) from 2022-2024.
