Jasper Heijtel, owner/director Ōhope Beach Medical Centre

According to the 2022 workforce survey by the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners**, nearly 80 percent of GPs in New Zealand are experiencing burnout. That means your own GP may be feeling overwhelmed, less able to show compassion, and mentally fatigued.

If you’ve tried to find a new General Practitioner (GP)/Nurse Practitioner (NP) recently, you’ll know how scarce they are. So the best way to ensure you get the care you need is to support and look after the GP/NP you already have.

Time is tight

Most GP/NPs work with 15-minute appointment slots. That time includes walking to the room, the consultation itself, ordering tests, writing prescriptions, updating notes, writing referrals and arranging billing. Realistically, that leaves less than 10–12 minutes to address your health concern.

To ensure safe and effective care, GP/NPs often ask patients to focus on one issue per visit. Here’s a rough guide:

• Medication reviews: one full appointment
• Pain issues: one full appointment
• Mental health concerns: often require multiple appointments
• If you have more than one issue or expect your concern will take longer, ask for a double appointment when booking.

GP/NPs would love to build trust and get to know you over time, but the system doesn’t always allow for that. To make the most of your visit:

• Start with the main concern right away
• Be honest and open, leaving things out can limit your GP/NPs ability to help
• If you suspect a specific illness, say so
• Write down your symptoms and questions beforehand to stay focused

Your patient portal

Patient portals are useful tools for managing your health, but they’ve also added to the already fully loaded GP/NP workloads. Keep in mind:

• Portal messages are medical consultations, not casual emails
• hospital specialists or private specialists do not have access to your patient portal and results are not automatically uploaded.
• Use email only when appropriate. If you’re wondering whether to book an appointment, the answer is usually yes
• For admin questions (like notes or scheduling), contact reception instead

If your GP/NP replies with “please make an appointment,” it means your concern needs a full consultation to be properly addressed.

Access to appointments: What you can do

You may have seen media reports about long wait times, sometimes four to six weeks, to see a GP or nurse practitioner. While many medical centres do face these challenges, not all do. Wait times often depend on two key factors:

1. The patient-to-GP/NP ratio
2. How the practice manages its appointment schedule

If you're consistently struggling to get timely appointments, it’s worth checking with other practices in your area. Ask about their current wait times and whether they’re accepting new patients. You may find a medical centre that better suits your needs.

Behind the scenes

GPs juggle many responsibilities. A typical session includes 3.5 to 4 hours of back-to-back consultations, followed by urgent tasks prioritized by clinical risk.

• Clinical urgency: e.g., abnormal kidney test results requiring hospital care
• Social urgency: e.g., insurance forms, important, but lower priority

Your GP works through these tasks as quickly and safely as possible. While they often hear about what went wrong, positive feedback is rare.

If you’ve had a good experience, consider writing a short note of appreciation and leaving it at reception. A kind word can be a powerful reminder of why they do what they do.

** https://www.rnzcgp.org.nz/resources/workforce-survey/2022-workforce-survey/