Clinical Practice

How Many Patients Can a GP Actually See Properly in a Day?

A booking diary showing a new patient every 15 minutes looks like 15 minutes of care. The notes, the scripts and the referrals still have to be done somewhere. This page sets out what the sourced data says, and where we are describing a logical point rather than a measured figure.

A booked slot is not the same as face time

A booking slot has to cover the consultation and the work it generates, such as clinical notes, scripts, referrals and test requests. How much of the slot is face time depends on the GP, the patient and the practice.

Firsthand experience, not a published statistic: GPs in many bulk-billing clinics, including GPs the C.A.L.L.S team works with, are booked a new patient every 15 minutes. Because notes, scripts and referrals are written between patients and the next patient is arriving, the time actually spent with the patient is often around 5 to 10 minutes. We have not found a published national figure for this, so please read it as experience reported by GPs, not as research.

What the national data says

The RACGP's report, as summarised by ABC News, found the average time GPs spend with a patient rose to 19.7 minutes, up from 18.7 minutes in 2022. RACGP reporting, summarised on Australian Health Policy, links growing complexity without a matching increase in consultation time or remuneration to burnout.

Why fee structures matter

Contractor GPs typically pay the practice a service fee, with William Buck using 35 percent in worked examples. A practice must fund staff, rent, IT, accreditation, insurance and compliance regardless of billing model. How that cost pressure translates into slot length varies by clinic.

What changes with a fixed 30-minute home visit

On C.A.L.L.S every visit is booked as a 30-minute slot, you set your own fee and you keep all of it, with no commission (how it works, pricing). See our cost comparison for sourced fee figures.