Out-of-hours (OOH) GP services have reported a rise in the presentation of complex cases, leading to a small overall increase in referrals to hospital. The issue was among the topics discussed at a recent meeting of the National Association of GP Co-ops.
According to the Association’s Chairperson, Dr Ken Egan, co-ops have reported a general increase in the number of referrals made to emergency departments.
Speaking to the Medical Independent last month, Dr Egan said this rise reflected the presentation of “more complex cases” among patients who cannot access their day-time practice due to increased wait times.
In one region, a co-op reported a 7 per cent rise in referrals to hospital. However, Dr Egan explained that, nationally, the overall increase could be described as “small”.
To date in 2025, Dr Egan said demand had fallen across most co-ops, including a 4 per cent decline at KDoc and a 6 per cent decrease at Westdoc.
“But the feeling was that demand will rise again when the flu hits. Co-ops are bracing themselves for a busy winter. Flu was extensive in Australia, with a significant increase in outbreaks there and we usually follow suit here,” Dr Egan remarked.
This was the worst year on record for influenza cases in Australia, when adjusted for population, according to the Royal Australian College of GPs.
In Ireland, vaccination clinics have been rolled out nationally. However, Dr Egan argued that “there is more resistance to getting vaccines than there used to be”.
He commented: “Anecdotally it seems that people are resisting getting vaccines more and more.”
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