The NSW government is expected to widen the scope for GP ADHD care beyond just continuing prescriptions.
The NSW government is promising to save families between $500 and $1400 on out-of-pocket costs for ADHD care by instituting new GP prescribing reforms.
This move comes as part of the NSW government’s plans to increase accessibility to ADHD care through expanding GP scope.
Earlier reforms in the state have allowed GPs to train as “continuation prescribers,” with 560 GP specialists having qualified to continue prescriptions for patients aged six and older previously diagnosed with ADHD.
According to the RACGP, the state government is now expected to announce plans for additional training for GPs to become “endorsed prescribers”, able to assess and diagnose ADHD and initiate prescriptions for both children and adults.
More information is expected in December.
“We know that doctors are happy to do it, but really more important, our patients are really happy to see their usual GP,” RACGP NSW/ACT chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman told The Medical Republic.
“I’m really hoping that by the end of the year, we’ve got a clear path forward for tier two prescribing, and that we’ve got the support of all of our colleagues, our psychiatrists and our paediatricians.
“It’s really important to us here that we’re doing this in a multidisciplinary approach, and that everyone feels safe and comfortable.”
Nearly 3000 new patients have already received a new script written under the continuation prescription initiative.
Related
“We really want to make sure that all GPs feel that they’re able to upskill, that they want to be upskilled, and that they’ll be supported to do that,” Dr Hoffman told TMR.
“In New South Wales we’re only, at the moment, doing continuing scripts.
“As with any chronic disease, if we had any concerns that was beyond our scope, then we would refer back to our non-GP specialists or give them a call and ask for advice.
“What we’re now nutting out in New South Wales is what tier two looks like.
“We’re trying to make sure that we support our GPs so that not only are they trained in their diagnosis and initiation of medication, but that they’ve got backup support.”
This announcement comes just days after the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists expressed concerns over the safety of this expansion pace.
“The RANZCP affirms that accurate diagnosis of ADHD requires a comprehensive psychiatric assessment,” the statement said.
“GPs and other clinicians should manage stable cases within their scope of practice, while complex or high-risk presentations remain under specialist oversight, with clear referral and escalation pathways.”
In response to these concerns, Dr Hoffman said that 80% of ADHD work should be possible via GPs but 20% will need to be addressed by relevant specialists.
“Some stuff is going to be outside of the scope of a GP and we’ll need to look to our non-GP specialists, but we need to make sure that our patients can access them,” Dr Hoffman told TMR.
“By taking the continuation scripts, by taking the … really simple stuff that we see every day, that we can do that is well within our scope, will mean that our specialists are able to see the stuff that they need to see.”
