Access to general practice care

Every year, more than 22 million Australians choose to visit a specialist GP for their healthcare needs, making GPs the most accessed health professional in the country and general practice the cornerstone of Australia’s primary care system. In 2024, GPs provided 172 million health services to 22.6 million patients – an average of services per patient.¹

GPs continued to be the most commonly seen health professionals in 2023–24 (Figure 1). Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows the overwhelming majority of patients can access general practice care, with only 1.1% of people reporting they were unable to see a GP when they needed to in 2023–24.² Women were more likely than men to see a GP (87.3% compared to 77.7%).²

Around 78.7% of patients have a preferred GP, with the proportion of people always able to see their preferred GP increasing from 63.7% in 2022–23 to 66.4% in 2023–24.² The OECD Patient-Reported Indicator Survey (PaRIS) Australian Report recently found 97% of patients with a single GP for 3–5 years rated care positively, compared to 79% who did not see the same GP.³ The PaRIS report also found longer GP–patient relationships were correlated with higher levels of trust in their GP, and higher ratings of care received.³

Reported reasons people see their GP

Health of the Nation data consistently demonstrates the central role of GPs in providing care for people experiencing mental illness. Psychological issues remain the most commonly reported reason for people to see a GP (Figure 2). This has been consistent since the start of the Health of the Nation survey in 2017.⁴ In 2025, 71% of practising GPs nominated it as a top reason for patient presentations. This represents a 10% increase since the start of the survey in 2017.

The proportion of GPs nominating musculoskeletal (33%) and respiratory (28%) factors as a top three reason for patient presentations has decreased from 2024. Women’s health (35%) has increased since 2024. Other factors remain largely unchanged since 2024.

Female GPs continue to report a higher proportion of their patients as presenting with psychological concerns. Seventy-five per cent of female GPs nominated psychological as one of their top three reasons for patient presentations, compared to 66% for male GPs. Male GPs reported higher rates of respiratory, musculoskeletal, skin and circulatory-related patient presentations.

Spotlight on mental health

When GPs were prompted to think about emerging issues causing concern for the future, mental health was the most mentioned patient health issue. Fifty-seven per cent of respondents identified it as a concern for the future.

GPs often serve as the first point of clinical contact for people with mental health concerns, providing a holistic, whole-of-person approach to healthcare. In certain circumstances, such as rural and remote areas, a general practice may be the only available point of care for people who require mental health services.

Twenty-two per cent of the population (estimated 4.3 million people) between the ages of 16 and 85 experienced a mental illness in the previous 12 months prior to the National Health Survey (2020-2022), while 43% of the population (estimated 8.5 million people) have experienced a mental illness during their lifetime.⁵ Concerningly, one in five (20.4%) people over 15 years who needed to see a health professional for their mental health delayed or did not attend due to cost.²

Of the practising GPs who identified mental health as a future concern, this year for the first time they were asked to identify the conditions driving mental health presentations in general practice. The results show anxiety and depression were mentioned by a high proportion of practising GPs (Figure 3). This was followed by adjustment disorders, which involve emotional or behavioural symptoms in reaction to an identifiable stressor. The most recent National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing found the most common mental illnesses in Australia were anxiety disorders, affective disorders (including depression) and substance use disorders.⁵

GPs report patients can often present with multiple mental health concerns in a single general practice consult, reflecting the complex health needs for this patient cohort.

Women were more likely to see a GP for their mental health than men (15.9% compared to 9.4%). However, women were also more likely than men to delay or not see a GP for their mental health when needed due to cost (11.5% compared to 8.1%).²