'It's about people's lives': GP workforce survey shows more burnout than ever
They provide the lion's share of healthcare - so what happens when family doctors reach their limit? It hurts us all, College of GPs president says. A survey of more than 3400 family doctors in New Zealand have found that 48% of them are feeling high levels of burnout, and that they are planning to retire within the next decade. The Royal NZ College of GPs commissioned the survey found that the health system will face greater costs without radical investment in general practice. By location, the highest rates of burnouts were in Wairarapa, Taranaki, Northland, Tairāwhiti, Waikato, Whanganui and Wellington, all more than 50%. Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said she was “very aware” of G Ps’ concerns, having met with key primary care leaders multiple times. To help combat this, the College is working with the College to increase the number of GP trained per year from 200 to 300 by 2026.
प्रकाशित : 2 साल पहले द्वारा Rachel Thomas में Health
A total of 48% of GPs surveyed say they are feeling high levels of burnout.
Family doctors say they’re feeling more burnt out, overwhelmed and undervalued than ever before, and warn that the health system will face greater costs without radical investment in general practice.
Of more than 3400 GPs, 48% reported high levels of burnout – up from 31% in 2020 – and almost two thirds (64%) were planning to retire within the next decade. The figures were released in a report on Friday by the Royal NZ College of GPs, who commissioned an independent survey of GPs during winter 2022.
“It’s really bad,” Dr Samantha Murton, College president and Wellington GP said.
“As GPs, we provide 90% of the healthcare in the country. Us feeling burnt out is critical to the country’s healthcare.”
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When it came to people’s health, there was no room for an off day, said Murton who is also a GP in central Wellington.
“The job is all consuming. You have to be on-the-ball, attentive, functioning extremely well, every 15 minutes.”
By location, the highest rates of burnout were in Wairarapa (59%), Taranaki (55%)and Northland (55%), followed by Tairāwhiti, Waikato, Whanganui and Wellington – all more than 50%.
GPs were sounding the alarm over burnout and an ageing workforce well before the pandemic, but Covid-19 has compounded the issue as hospital waiting lists for planned treatment have blown out and cancer care becomes harder to access.
As the decline in GP satisfaction continued, the steps that needed to be taken became more radical, Murton said.
“If we watch and wait and see what happens – this is about people's lives. And it's about cost to the healthcare system.”
“If we don't deliver complex medical care in the community, then I can guarantee it's going to cost the health system an enormous amount more.”
If the 425 specialist GPs aged 65 and over retired today, there would be 725,000 more New Zealanders without a doctor, the College estimated.
Many New Zealanders already faced barriers to seeing GPs.
Recent figures from separate GP organisation GenPro revealed that more than half of 185 surveyed practices were already not taking enrolments and almost 90% had reduced their services in some way.
Murton said key solutions lay in a “massive increase” in the number of New Zealand-trained medical students, giving trainee doctors more experience in general practice and fixing the gender pay gap between doctors – which averaged out about $50,000, according to the report.
Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall, who has been seen report, said she was “very aware” of GPs’ concerns, having met with key primary care leaders multiple times.
“Many GPs tell me they want a higher trust model of working. For example by enabling GPs to order certain radiology tests directly, we can cut out the need for specialist referral.
“Ultimately I want to see GPs empowered to do their jobs and provide services to their communities.”
Te Whatu Ora was working with the College to general practice and increase the number of GPs trained per year from 200 to 300 by 2026, with a focus on boosting numbers of Māori and Pacific GPs, Verrall said.
To boost the overall workforce, other changes included a salary increase for GP registrars and a special $3600 hosting payment to practices that train post-graduate doctors, Verrall said.
Verrall did not respond to a question about fixing the GP gender pay gap.