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Impact of proposed older GP health checks revealed
New data shows 3142 GPs could undergo an AHPRA assessment for GPs aged over 70, leaving the RACGP concerned this could worsen workforce shortages.
AHPRA says health checks for doctors aged over 70 are ‘among options being considered to safely extend the practice of late career medical practitioners’.
More than 3000 GPs aged 70 and over across the country could be subject to a mandatory health assessment under a controversial proposal from Australia’s health watchdog.
That is according to new data from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) which revealed 8.8% of all GPs are aged over 70 and could be subject to new regulations if they are introduced.
AHPRA’s proposal to introduce mandatory health assessments for GPs aged over 70, announced last year, has sparked concerns from the RACGP that it could cause a serious workforce shortage and push a significant number of experienced GPs out of the profession.
The data, supplied as part of Parliamentary hearings, revealed there are currently 35,514 GPs in Australia, with 3142 aged 70 and older.
Additionally, it shows that the areas potentially hardest hit by an exodus of older GPs could be small rural towns – where GPs over 70 represent 9.7% of the workforce.
Older GPs make up 9.6% of the workforce in metropolitan areas, 7.1% in medium rural towns, 7.0% in large rural towns, and 5.6% in regional centres.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright told newsGP he is concerned these changes could worsen the already ‘massive workforce challenges that GPs have’.
‘We know that the average age of GPs is increasing, and this data shows that the average age of GPs is older than other medical specialists,’ he said.
‘GPs play a central role in our communities, and I know many GPs who continue to practice into their 70s and 80s and beyond, providing amazing care for their communities.
‘We need to make sure that we're not just creating extra bureaucracy, targeting a group of health professionals, when we don't have evidence that these checks are going to make a difference.
‘We need to be supporting our GP workforce more than ever and reducing regulation and administration.’
According to the latest Health of the Nation report, almost one third of current GPs plan to cease practising within the next five years.
A key factor identified to be influencing this included regulatory and compliance burdens, which was referenced by 60% of participants.
Considering these findings, Dr Wright said ‘introducing more bureaucracy is the last thing we need at the moment’.
‘This data shows there are more GPs aged over 70 ins in rural and remote Australia,’ he said.
‘The last thing we need is to further reduce our workforce or encourage any GPs to retire, particularly in rural and remote Australia.’
AHPRA announced its health assessment plans in August last year, commencing with a consultation process that closed in October 2024.
At the time AHPRA said it was considering the move due to data showing doctors aged over 70 are 81% more likely to be the subject of a notification.
‘We are looking for effective and practical ways to support late career doctors to stay in safe practice, through health checks that will identify and enable doctors to address any risks that come from increasing age,’ said former Medical Board of Australia Chair Dr Anne Tonkin.
The agency stated the rate of notifications about late-career doctors has almost doubled over the past eight years, rising to 69.5 complaints per 1000 in 2023.
The RACGP slammed the proposal in its consultation submission, stating that the change was unnecessary and that there was no proof the health checks would reduce notifications.
‘This would be another regulatory burden unnecessarily imposed on the general practice profession without evidence to support effectiveness,’ the submission said.
‘Late-career GPs are highly valued, bringing a wealth of knowledge, experience and mentorship.’
A report by the Department of Health and Aged Care, also released in August last year, laid bare the potential scale of a national shortage of GPs in the coming decades.
It predicted a current shortage of 2466 full-time equivalent GPs, with this growing to 5560 by 2033, and up to 8908 in 2048.
Dr Wright said, in addition to increasing administrative burdens, GPs say they are experiencing more burnout and emphasised the strain that notifications can put on their mental health.
‘We know mandatory reporting and vexatious notifications can add to that strain, and all of these issues might be increasing GPs thinking about retirement, and we've got to make sure that we don't unnecessarily add another burden.’
The Medical Board is currently considering three options for late-career doctors – keep the status quo, introduce an extensive and detailed ‘fitness to practise’ assessment for all doctors aged 70, or introduce general health checks with a GP for late career doctors aged 70 and older, to support early detection of concerns with the opportunity for management before the public is at risk.
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AHPRA Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency GP workforce late-career GPs Medical Board of Australia workforce
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