“There is never any rest, never enough time and too much to do,” said one doctor in a new study examining the growing workload facing GPs, reports The Mirror.
The research highlights stark accounts from general practitioners describing an increasingly relentless pace of work and how general practice has changed in recent years.
Doctors reported having little or no time for breaks, lunch, or even basic self-care during the working day, reports The Mirror.
One GP said: “I would routinely go home in the evening and realise I haven’t had lunch. I might have had coffee. I will have had one cup of coffee. Generally no lunch. And likely not peed for a very extended length of time. So it’s hectic,” reports The Mirror.
Based on anonymous interviews with 13 female GPs and seven male GPs, the study also found that many doctors regularly work beyond normal hours to manage administrative duties, reports The Mirror.
The pressure is also affecting home life, with some GPs saying they are too exhausted to engage with their children after work.
One doctor said: “I have three teenage boys. Like, at least they’re not small anymore. Last night one of them was upset because he had a rugby match and I couldn’t go to the rugby match,” reports The Mirror.
The findings come amid rising demand for GP services, driven by an ageing population, increased chronic illness, and more complex patient needs, reports The Mirror.
Demand for GP appointments is projected to increase by 23% to 30% by 2040, alongside a need for 24% to 31% more GPs.
At the same time, around a quarter of GPs in Ireland are over 60, raising concerns about future staffing levels, reports The Mirror.
Doctors said the scope of general practice has expanded significantly in recent years, with more services now delivered in the community.
One GP said: “There’s a lot of things that GPs do now that they didn’t do 10 years ago… complex menopause care in practice… contraceptive care, inserting Mirena coils and Implanons, joint injections… even in things like diabetes care,” reports The Mirror.
GPs also said patients increasingly present with multiple long-term conditions, requiring longer consultations, reports The Mirror.
One doctor said: “I mean, 15 minutes was good when it was all just acute care and maybe one problem. But, we do a lot of the chronic disease, particularly, our population would be very multi morbid and elderly. And yeah, I mean, even the standard appointments can be fairly lengthy now,” reports The Mirror.
Schemes such as chronic disease management programmes, expanded free GP care for children, and contraceptive services have added further pressure, leaving little room for emergency appointments.
One GP said: “It’s constantly at max capacity, there doesn’t seem to be… a busy season in winter and like a less busy season in summer. It’s, it’s just busy or busier,” reports The Mirror.
They added: “I have health issues. And I have absolutely no time to do the things, like I should be going to… that’s managed mostly by email to the consultant because I don’t actually have any time to get there,” reports The Mirror.
Others described feeling isolated at work, saying the workload leaves little opportunity to interact with colleagues or take proper breaks.
The study authors concluded that general practice in Ireland is under sustained pressure, driven by rising workload intensity and multiple systemic factors, reports The Mirror.
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