The increasing complexity of patients was restricting the time GPs could spend on preventive care, said 80% of respondents to the RACGP’s Health of the Nation report.
The capacity of GPs to deliver preventive healthcare as patient presentations become increasingly complex was a major issue identified by the Royal Australian College of GPs’ 2026 Health of the Nation report, released overnight.
Eighty percent of GPs who answered questions about preventive care agreed that acute or complex patient presentations limited the time and opportunity to address preventive health matters.
Only 10% believed the existing Medicare Benefits Schedule item structure for preventive health was fit for purpose.
“By providing comprehensive and coordinated preventive care, GPs help keep patients out of hospital and reduce pressure on the broader health system,” the report said.
“However, the ability of GPs to provide this valuable service is compromised by time constraints.”
Increasing complexity of patient presentations was identified as a major challenge by 72% of practising GPs, up from 68% in 2025.
Among GPs reporting that they were spending more time with patients, 49% nominated increasingly complex presentations as a reason, while 48% cited the complexity of the care they needed to provide.
A further 41% identified increased mental health-related presentations, while 28% said they were including more preventive health activities in consultations.
The report said the findings suggested longer consultations were being driven principally by increasingly demanding clinical care, rather than administrative or technological barriers.
Outgoing RACGP president Dr Michael Wright said the report demonstrated the vital role general practice plays in keeping Australians healthy and the importance of greater federal government investment to ensure patients could continue to access comprehensive, high-quality care from a GP who knows them and their history.
“GPs are caring for patients with increasingly complex health needs,” he said.
“We’re managing more chronic disease, more mental health concerns, more multi-morbidity and more conditions that have traditionally been treated elsewhere in hospitals and by non-GP specialists.
“This year, 89% of GPs reported managing conditions that non-GP specialists might typically treat, while 76% reported managing conditions usually treated in a hospital emergency department or urgent care clinic.
“That reflects the breadth and depth of modern general practice. GPs are providing more comprehensive care than ever before and helping patients navigate an increasingly complex healthcare system.”
Data sharing key to fixing fragmented care
Better communication and information sharing between healthcare providers was the leading improvement identified by GPs for coordinating patient care.
Of the 365 GPs who answered questions about improving care coordination, 53% nominated communication and information sharing, while 29% identified shared records and interoperability.
Professional recognition and collaboration were nominated by 25% of respondents, followed by funding and remuneration (19%), digital systems and technology (15%), and administrative support and funded coordination time (11%).
Thirty-six percent of GPs identified health system fragmentation and communication problems as a leading concern for the future, although that figure has fallen from 43% in 2025.
The RACGP report stated that “communication and information sharing stands out as the single most important factor contributing to better coordination across the health system”.
It said coordinated care was particularly important for people living with chronic and long-term health conditions, who were more likely to require services from multiple healthcare professionals.
Citing Australian Bureau of Statistics data, the report noted that 28.7% of people with a long-term health condition saw three or more health professionals, compared with 6.4% of those without a long-term condition.
People with long-term conditions were also more likely to report problems caused by poor communication between healthcare professionals, at 17.4% compared with 14.7%.
Despite those challenges, the report noted that Australia performed relatively well in international comparisons of care coordination, with 74% of patients reporting positive experiences compared with an OECD average of 59%.
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Regional gaps in access to care
The report also identified significant differences between metropolitan and regional Australia in access to services beyond general practice.
Among GPs working in outer regional areas, 57% identified patient access to other medical specialists as a challenge, compared with 43% of GPs in major cities.
Access to allied health professionals was a concern for 39% of outer-regional GPs, compared with 23% in major cities.
Regional GPs were also more likely to identify difficulties ensuring equitable access to high-quality care, at 50% compared with 41% in major cities.
The report found that 33% of GPs identified care coordination and communication with external health providers as one of the main issues they faced.
The Health of the Nation survey was conducted in April and May this year, with 2766 practising GPs responding to the broader survey. Sample sizes varied between individual questions.
Read the full report here.