GP Funding Crisis Pushes More Practices to Close Books

General practitioners across New Zealand are under mounting financial pressure, with some closing their books to new patients and others at risk of shutting down entirely. GenPro (General Practice Owners Association) chairman Dr Angus Chambers warned that communities could find themselves without access to medical, injury and mental health care through their local GP.

Dr Chambers said closing books is a difficult decision for practices, driven by both ethical and practical considerations. Enrolling too many patients leads to longer wait times and poorer care, while overloaded GPs risk burnout and may leave their practices altogether. He also pointed to poor workforce planning and inadequate funding as key contributors to staff shortages.

Local GP Vicky Jones echoed these concerns, saying long wait times risked people delaying or avoiding care altogether. She stressed that primary care needed better funding to keep communities healthy, while acknowledging that many practices were doing their best despite significant resourcing constraints.

Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora's living well director Martin Hefford said patient enrolment remained high nationally, sitting at around 94% of the estimated population. He noted that this year's annual capitation uplift was 4%, with a 7.76% increase in allowable fee increases — a combined average revenue increase of 5.88% — which he said matched independent estimates of cost growth for general practice services over the past 12 months. Initiatives to grow the GP workforce include an accommodation allowance for trainees and a plan to increase the number of GPs trained per year to 300 by 2026.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).