GPs spend a third of time on paperwork navigating NHS 'maze', warns RCGP

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By Erin Dean

GPs are spending up to 30% of their time on paperwork as they grapple with ‘frustrating’ NHS admin, a senior doctor has warned.

Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), said that navigating NHS services is a confusing “maze” for both GPs and patients.

“Patients have told us that accessing care can be confusing, care can feel fragmented and (they) can feel full of uncertainty at times about what happens next. “GPs are stuck in that same uncertainty too,” she said.

“We spend a significant proportion of our time – sometimes between 15 to 30% – following up on referrals and administrative processes and paperwork instead of seeing patients. This can be very frustrating for both patients and GPs.”

The RCGP and the Patients Association have launched a new campaign calling for the NHS to be “truly accessible and navigable for all”.

A joint report warns the NHS is a “complex web of organisations” which can make it difficult for patients to get the care that they need.

This can mean patients feel rushed in appointments, face long waits, lost referrals and “unmanageable administerial burdens”, the report adds.

Campaign demands can 'make difference'

The organisations have made a series of recommendations, including a call for patients to be able to track specialist referrals. There are currently 6.17 million patients on the NHS waiting list for specialist care.

The campaign calls for the government to set out clear plans to train, employ and retain enough GPs to overcome the challenges some patients face in accessing their family doctor.

Tzortziou Brown said the campaign asks for the government are “not necessarily radical” and “don’t require a huge reorganisation or reshuffle” but could make a “significant difference in how care is experienced for patients”.

The RCGP’s 2025 survey of more than 2,000 members found that around one quarter of GP workload is spent on administrative or bureaucracy tasks related to clinical care that does not improve patient care or outcomes.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it had recruited 2,000 additional GPs.

“This government is fixing the front door to the NHS, and our priority is to ensure general practice is properly resourced, attractive as a career, and able to deliver high-quality, continuous care for patients not just now, but for generations to come,” a spokesperson said.

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