To determine the timeliness of access to general practitioner appointments in South Australia.

Face-to-face interviews with a random and representative sample of South Australians living in metropolitan Adelaide and country towns with a population of 1000 or more in 2007.

2507 people aged 15 years and over who had seen a GP in the previous 12 months.

Waiting times for obtaining an appointment with a GP, patients’ perceptions about appointment waiting times, and waiting times at the GP’s surgery.

Most respondents reported that for their last visit with a GP, they were able to be seen on the same day (39%) or within 1 or 2 working days (33%); 20% waited more than 2 working days for their appointment. Nine per cent of respondents (159/1764) reported waiting more than 2 working days because an earlier appointment was not available. Respondents reporting lower levels of household income were more likely to report longer waits for GP appointments. Most respondents (78%) felt that they were able to make a GP appointment as soon as they thought necessary. At the surgery, 46% of respondents were seen within 15 minutes, but 13% waited 45 minutes or longer.

In general, access to GPs is timely, and most South Australians reported that for their last GP visit they were able to make an appointment as soon as they thought was necessary.