‘Substantial number’ of GPs have not had time off since pandemic began

A “substantial number” of general practitioners have not taken any time off since the onset of the pandemic, the medics’ training body has said.

The Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) said Covid-19 has exacerbated several issues in the health service, including doctor burnout.

Speaking after its winter meeting on Saturday, Dr Diarmuid Quinlan, medical director of the ICGP, said there has been an "enormous increase" in the workload since the arrival of Covid-19.

Work has been above pre-pandemic levels since summer 2020, and the winter is already a “historically” busy time.

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“The vaccination campaigns are in full swing so we are vaccinating older people with Covid. We are also doing the flu vaccine for all age groups. Then we have all our normal GP work and we also have the Covid-related illness work, that is hugely substantial,” he said.

“Then there are people who haven’t been to their GP in six, eight or 10 months and are now showing.”

Dr Quinlan said with the rise in workload, many GPs have been unable to take time off work.

“The other big challenge is getting time off for important family events, for holidays. This is an important part of preventing burnout from doctors. It’s not that it’s a minor issue, the pandemic is going on now for almost two years,” he said.

“I personally know a substantial number of GPs, particularly in one or two doctor practices, who haven’t taken any time off in 2020 or thus far in 2021. It’s not sustainable. It’s not good for them. It’s not good role model for younger doctors. It’s not good for their patients fundamentally.”

Doctors are now starting earlier and finishing later, Dr Quinlan said, in a bid to cope with the increased demand.

However, despite these steps, waiting times to see local GPs have increased.

“We know that waiting times to get to see your GP are now increasing and in many instances, it’s no longer feasible for people to see their own GP for non-urgent issues on the same day,” he added.

Dr Quinlan said clinician burnout is part of a bigger problem: a shortage of GPs.

“We simply don’t have a large enough workforce to sustain this workload into the future. We need more doctors, and we need substantially more practice nurses and we need more admin supports,” he added.

“We need to grow the general practice team to continue to deliver high-quality healthcare in a timely fashion for patients.”