Almost a third of all GPs 'intend to retire' in the next five years

Almost a third of all general practitioners in Australia intend to retire within the next five years, sparking concerns the system is facing a major workforce shortage.

A new report released by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) found that almost three in 10 GPs signalled their intention to retire in the next five years.

The primary reasons cited by doctors were intense workloads, burnout and the increasing complexity of patients seeing general practitioners.

READ MORE: New Zealand community bands together to buy small town pub

RACGP President, Dr Nicole Higgins, said urgent action must be taken to increase Australia's essential GP workforce, ensuring Australians can access high-quality healthcare now and in the future.

"Our report is further evidence that we are facing a looming shortfall of GPs, and we need to do much more to attract and retain this essential workforce, for the health of Australians now and into the future," said Dr Higgins.

"Our nation's GPs help people live longer and healthier lives, and reduce pressure on hospitals."

According to Dr Higgins, there are significant barriers which are turning medical students away from becoming GPs, with many choosing to specialise in other medical fields.

"GPs are specialists and do the same eight years of medical training as any other specialist, followed by at least three years further training in a general practice," said Dr Higgins.

"However, GPs are hamstrung at the outset due to discrepancies in conditions and pay between hospitals and private practice."

READ MORE: Police bust 'powerful' international crime syndicate

According to the report, GPs are seeing a consistently high amount of people and spending more time with their patients than ever.

This is partly due to the growing complexity of patient needs and rising demand for mental health care.

"In a typical week, 38 per cent of GP consults involve mental health," said Dr Higgins.

Dr Higgins said there are different measures that can be implemented to incentivise medical students to train as GPs, to sustain the workforce in the long term.

She said that sustained investment in general practice care is the most important solution to attract workers and meet Australia's future health needs.

READ MORE: Big W's new bid to snare online shoppers

The report also suggests introducing incentive payments for the first 6 months of community general practice training, study leave, and paid parental leave for training GPs.

"Addressing these three key barriers would make an immediate difference in getting more GPs training and working in the communities that need them," said Dr Higgins.

Dr Higgins said encouraging more GPs to become practice owners is another solution to strengthen Australia's general practice sector.

She said many GPs are not interested in owning practices due to high payroll tax bills threatening the viability of the business.

"This needs to be addressed urgently, we need a consistent approach to this tax across Australia and settings for general practice to thrive in every community," she said.