GPs try new patient rules to cope with crippling demand

Corporate Ochre Health hopes initiatives at two Tasmanian practices will ease patient wait times.
Sarah Simpkins
Darren Fraser.

Two GP practices are trialling measures to free up appointments including dedicating a doctor to repeat scripts and asking patients to restrict requests for results to particular hours.

The practices in Scottsdale and Bridport, around 60km from Launceston, published the new policies in early September after one GP took a “long overdue break from medicine” and two registrars finished their rotations.