The Doctor Will See You… When They Can: Why Preventive Health Needs a Bloody Good Shake‑Up

The Doctor Will See You… When They Can: Why Preventive Health Needs a Bloody Good Shake‑Up

Intro

Australia’s healthcare system is world‑class. But for most people, the experience of “healthcare” still looks like this: you notice something’s off, you book a GP appointment, you wait, you squeeze into a short consult, and then you start the process of figuring out what’s going on.

That’s not a criticism of GPs. It’s the system they work inside.

The bigger issue is that our system is still largely reactive—it’s designed to respond to illness once it’s already affecting your day‑to‑day life, rather than helping you detect risk early and prevent problems from escalating in the first place.

And when you zoom out, the numbers make it obvious why prevention matters. Chronic disease has been estimated to account for the vast majority of deaths in Australia (based on AIHW reporting on 2011 mortality), and chronic conditions are common across the population. The point isn’t to make anyone anxious—it’s to highlight something practical: most chronic conditions don’t start with dramatic symptoms. They often begin as small, measurable changes in the body that can show up in blood markers years before a diagnosis.

So if we want a “bloody good” future of health, we have to make it easier to measure what matters early—before you’re in the GP waiting room because you had no other choice.

Prevention isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the missing layer.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: we can’t build a sustainable health system if prevention is treated as a side project.

A widely cited Australian report estimated that Australia spends around 1.34% of total health spending on prevention (based on national health accounts and OECD reporting), while also noting that “prevention” is hard to measure consistently and may be undercounted.

Regardless of the exact percentage today, the takeaway is stable: prevention tends to be under‑resourced compared to the cost of managing chronic disease once it’s established.

That gap shows up at the individual level too. If you’ve ever tried to get a GP appointment quickly—or tried to book a longer consult to work through “I don’t feel right, but I can’t explain it”—you already know how limited time and access can be.

The Doctor Will See You… When They Can

General practice is the front door of healthcare in Australia. The RACGP reports that 9 in 10 Australians see a GP each year. At the same time, Australia faces ongoing pressure on the GP workforce, with the RACGP warning of a potential shortfall of thousands of GPs in the coming decades if trends continue.

Cost is another barrier. A 2025 RACGP media release discussing Cleanbill’s Blue Report noted that average out‑of‑pocket costs increased to $43.38, alongside ongoing concerns about bulk billing access (especially for people without concession cards).

Put simply:

  • GPs are in high demand.
  • Appointments can be hard to get quickly.
  • When you do get in, time is limited—and costs can add up.

That makes it even more important to show up to healthcare interactions prepared. And one of the simplest ways to do that is to bring real data, especially when symptoms are vague, fluctuating, or easy to dismiss.

Reactive care has a pattern: symptoms first, answers later

In a reactive model, people often wait until symptoms feel “bad enough” to justify an appointment. But chronic conditions don’t typically arrive overnight. They often build quietly through measurable changes like:

  • blood sugar drifting up over time
  • cholesterol patterns shifting
  • iron stores dropping
  • thyroid markers moving out of range
  • vitamin deficiencies accumulating

Research continues to show links between subtle hormone shifts and metabolic risk. For example, thyroid function has been linked with risk of pre‑diabetes and type 2 diabetes in population studies. These relationships are complex—but they reinforce the same idea: small changes can matter long before you feel unwell.

When we only test after symptoms show up, we lose time. And time is often the difference between “simple changes” and “long-term management.”

What blood tests can do

Let’s be clear: blood tests are not magic. They don’t diagnose everything, and they can’t replace clinical assessment.

What blood tests can do well is:

  • Establish a baseline so you know what “normal” looks like for you.
  • Detect abnormalities early—including issues you may not feel yet.
  • Help you prioritise action (follow-up tests, lifestyle changes, clinical review).
  • Make GP appointments more efficient by bringing specific data into the room.
  • Track changes over time, which is often more informative than a single snapshot.

A pathology economics report prepared by The Centre for International Economics emphasised the role of pathology in identifying risk factors that can be modified, guiding treatment, and monitoring progress. It also noted how common pathology is within general practice and how much of GP‑requested pathology relates to preventive health and chronic illness management.

This is the practical shift: instead of “wait and see,” you measure, track, and act earlier.

What Australians are actually seeing their GPs for

When people think “preventive health,” they sometimes assume it’s all about heart disease. Heart health matters, but it’s only one piece.

In the RACGP’s Health of the Nation 2024 report, GPs reported psychological issues as the leading reason for patient presentations (2024: 71%). Other common presentation categories included musculoskeletal issues (37%), endocrine and metabolic issues (34%), and women’s health (31%).

That mix tells us something important: modern healthcare demand is driven by whole‑person health—mental health, energy, hormones, metabolic health, pain, fatigue, and more.

Many of these concerns can involve multiple consults and multiple “maybes” before you get clarity. Private testing doesn’t replace that process, but it can reduce uncertainty and speed up the path to the right next step.

Diabetes as a clear example

If you want a real‑world example of why early detection matters, look at type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes Australia has reported an estimated 500,000 Australians living with “silent, undiagnosed” type 2 diabetes. That’s not just a statistic; those are people living with risk accumulating in the background.

Regular monitoring of markers like HbA1c (glycated haemoglobin) is one way to identify issues early. In the pathology economics report mentioned earlier, the authors note that avoiding complications can dramatically reduce costs, and that monitoring via HbA1c helps reduce the risk of serious diabetes complications (with evidence that even a 1% HbA1c reduction is associated with meaningful reductions in complication rates).

The point isn’t “test everything, all the time.” It’s: don’t wait until it’s hard.

Women’s health: data helps you advocate for yourself

Preventive health isn’t just a budget problem or a workforce problem. It’s also an equity problem.

Many women know what it feels like to have symptoms minimised or brushed off. In the Australian Government’s End Gender Bias survey results summary report, a substantial proportion of respondents reported experiencing gender bias or discrimination in healthcare, including bias in diagnosis and treatment.

On top of that, some conditions affecting women—such as endometriosis and PCOS—can take years to diagnose, with ongoing discussion about why delays happen and how pain is perceived and treated.

Having objective numbers doesn’t solve everything, but it strengthens your position. It can help you:

  • describe symptoms with context (e.g., “fatigue + low ferritin”)
  • request targeted follow‑up (not generic reassurance)
  • track whether changes actually improve outcomes

That’s not just good for individual care—it’s part of what shifts a system forward.

Sometimes the body is part of the picture

Mental health matters deeply and deserves proper care in its own right.

At the same time, physiological issues can contribute to symptoms that look like low mood, anxiety, or burnout. For example, iron deficiency and vitamin D deficiency have been discussed in the context of mental health symptoms and psychiatric populations (with ongoing research into mechanisms and clinical relevance).

This doesn’t mean “blood tests replace mental healthcare.” It means that when you’re struggling, it can be valuable to check for measurable, treatable contributing factors.

So what does a bloody good preventive approach look like?

Here’s a simple, realistic model that fits normal life:

1) Get a baseline

Baseline testing helps answer: “What’s going on under the surface?” and gives you a reference point to compare against later.

At Bloody Good, our flagship baseline option is The Bloody Good Test, designed to track core health biomarkers across major health areas so you can identify urgent issues and monitor change over time.

In Dr Vu Tran’s words: “Most people only get a blood test when something goes wrong… but by then, it’s often too late.”

2) Choose a focused check when you have a specific goal

Not everyone needs the biggest panel right away. Sometimes you want a focused test to answer one question clearly.

Examples of focused testing options available at Bloody Good include:

You can browse more by goal here: Health Tests

3) Track changes over time

A single test is helpful. A repeat test (at the right interval) is where patterns become obvious.

Tracking helps you answer:

  • Is what I’m doing actually improving the numbers?
  • Is something trending the wrong way before it becomes a bigger issue?
  • Do I need to escalate to my GP for follow-up now?

Prevention needs to be convenient

Even if someone believes in preventive health, it’s hard to follow through if it’s inconvenient.

That’s why access matters—especially outside major cities. In Australia, geography is often a barrier to timely care. Pathology networks play a major role in improving access (including regional and rural service delivery).

With Bloody Good, you can order online and use partner collection centres across Australia. You can also explore how the process works here:

What this does for the health system

This is where private testing becomes more than a “convenience product.”

If more people can measure baseline health earlier, identify issues sooner, and manage risks proactively, it has flow‑on benefits:

  • fewer “mystery symptom” consult cycles
  • more targeted GP appointments when they’re genuinely needed
  • earlier interventions that are often simpler and cheaper
  • better population health over time

That won’t fix workforce shortages on its own. But it’s one of the few levers individuals can pull immediately, without waiting for large-scale system reforms.

Where to start

If you’re not sure what you need, start simple:

Prevention is a personal strategy

The future of healthcare in Australia can’t rely on clinics doing more, faster, with fewer resources. We need systemic investment in prevention, but we also need practical tools that let individuals take action now.

Preventive testing is one such tool. It won’t replace your GP. It will help you use your GP time better. It won’t eliminate chronic disease. But it can help detect risk earlier, when you can still take a simple step about it.

That’s the shake‑up we need: measure earlier, act sooner, and stop waiting until you’re already unwell.

References

  1. Jackson H, Shiell A. (2017). Preventive health: How much does Australia spend and is it enough? Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE). View source
  2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Chronic conditions. View source
  3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). (2014). Australia’s health 2014: Chronic disease—Australia’s biggest health challenge (includes reporting that chronic diseases accounted for 90% of deaths in 2011). View source
  4. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). Make room for more GPs in training – RACGP. View source
  5. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). Make room for more GPs in training – RACGP (includes discussion of projected GP workforce shortages). View source
  6. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). (2025). Cleanbill report shows Medicare needs significant investment: RACGP (includes average out-of-pocket costs). View source
  7. Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). (2024). Health of the Nation 2024. View source
  8. The Centre for International Economics (CIE). (2019). The economic value of pathology: achieving better health, and a better use of health resources. View source
  9. Diabetes Australia. (2023). 2023 Snapshot: Diabetes in Australia (includes estimates on undiagnosed type 2 diabetes and diabetes-related mortality). View source
  10. Roa Dueñas, O. H., Van der Burgh, A. C., Ittermann, T., Ligthart, S., Ikram, M. A., Peeters, R., & Chaker, L. (2022). Thyroid function and the risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 107(6), 1789–1798. View source
  11. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. (2024). End gender bias: Survey results summary report. View source
  12. Armour, M., & Sinclair, J. (2022). People with endometriosis and PCOS wait years for a diagnosis; attitudes to women's pain may be to blame. The Conversation. View source
  13. Hassan, N., & Siu, S. (2019). Iron deficiency in psychiatric patients. University of Michigan. View source
  14. Słowik, A., & Stojanović, J. (2020). Vitamin D deficiency and its impact on mental health. Psychiatria Polska, 54(5), 917–928. View source

Medical Advice Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider with questions about your health or before making health-related decisions. If you have severe symptoms or urgent concerns, seek immediate medical care.