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

Getty/sturti

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.