One GP in four claims only to spend a quarter of their time dealing with medical issues that actually require their expertise, according to research by health insurer Aviva.
The finding was revealed in the biannual Health of the nation study, which has also found that nearly half of GPs believe better health education would greatly improve the nation’s experience of the health service.
While GPs spent nearly three-quarters of their time with patients, 23% said that only around a quarter of this time was spent dealing with medical issues that required the attention of a GP.
Most said that they spent up to a quarter of their time dealing with medical issues that a practice nurse could address.
More worryingly, from the occupational health perspective, 42% had not been able to refer patients for some treatments because they were unavailable to them in their area, rising to 53% for work-related stress and 60% for chronic fatigue syndrome.
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