Trends in general practitioner services to residents in aged care

To date, access to appropriate and timely GP services for those in aged care has been described as limited, in part due to inadequate models of care and remuneration. As the Australian population ages and more Australians become dependent on aged-care services, the need for good quality medical care that meets the needs of residents will continue to grow. The purpose of this study was to provide a current analysis of trends in GP services in residents in Australian aged-care facilities. Longitudinal population data (2005-2014) was used to describe the changing population demographics and calculate annual rates for GP services specific to this population. Total population and age-group strata (<85 years and 85+ years) rates were calculated for standard consultations, after-hours consultations, contribution to a care plan and collaborative medication review. For the period 2005-2014 there was an increase of 1.5 million GP services to this population, which had simultaneously grown by 19 800 residents, aged (6% increase in residents aged 85+ years) and become more dependent (14% increase is high-care residents). Significant increases in all GP service rates were observed, with a shift towards after-hours consultations. Residents aged <85 years received significantly more services than residents aged 85+ years. GP service delivery to the whole aged-care population continues to be heavily weighted towards standard and after-hours consultations, while collaborative GP services remain a very small proportion of services accessed by this population. There is scope to increase collaborative GP services, which have been linked to improved outcomes for this population.