The NSW government says its ADHD reforms are already saving people a lot of time and money but others say it’s not done and dusted.
Anything that helps with ADHD-associated costs is welcome, but it’s still too early to say how consistent the NSW government’s reforms were, says ADHD Australia.
The Minns government announced today that 10,000 NSW residents had avoided long waiting times and collectively saved $10 million a year in out-of-pocket expenses because of its ADHD-related reforms.
While reactions to the reforms have been positive, the impacts were not evenly felt, advocates told The Medical Republic.
“Any reform that reduces out‑of‑pocket costs and improves access to ADHD assessment and treatment is welcome. Cost has long been one of the most significant barriers for families and individuals, particularly given the need for ongoing reviews, medication management, and multidisciplinary care,” Melissa Webster, CEO of ADHD Australia, told TMR.
“However, from a community perspective, it is still too early to say whether the savings outlined by the NSW government are being consistently experienced on the ground.
“While some families are beginning to see improvements, many continue to report long wait times, limited-service availability, and uneven access depending on geography and clinical complexity.
“Savings projected at a system level do not always translate evenly across the community, particularly for people with co‑occurring conditions, higher support needs, or those living outside metropolitan areas.
“From ADHD Australia’s perspective, the real test of these reforms will be whether they lead to clear, navigable pathways to skilled providers, timely diagnosis, and affordable, consistent follow‑up over time,” Ms Webster said.
Since September last year, people have been able to get their ADHD repeat prescriptions from their GP instead of having to see their psychiatrist – a cost saving of $250-$670 per person, per visit, the government said.
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“We’re changing the way people access ADHD care—more than 37,900 prescriptions already issued by GPs, getting people the care they need, faster. That is literally millions of dollars back in the pockets of hardworking families, who can now access scripts from their family GP for a fraction of the cost,” said Rose Jackson, the NSW minister for mental health.
Because of that change, psychiatrists’ waiting lists thinned out, so people looking for other than routine care could get in more quickly, the government said.
“We know that more than 9800 people have now avoided the long waits, high costs, and stress associated with accessing a specialist to get their scripts filled. This is a win for everyone, and I am so pleased to see our rural and regional GPs embracing these reforms. We heard people in those areas loud and clear when they said they needed another option and we have delivered,” said NSW health minister Ryan Park.
As a result of the General Authority for continuation prescribers enabled on 1 September 2025, there were now more than 1100 GP “ADHD medication continuation prescribers” in NSW – 44% of them outside the Sydney metro area. The savings were expected to increase along with those numbers, the government said.
But ADHD Australia said there was still confusion about where families could seek out care.
“Despite reforms intended to expand GP involvement through additional ADHD training, many people still struggle to identify which GPs are appropriately trained. Unclear pathways and inconsistent information continue to dilute the real‑world impact of reforms aimed at improving access and affordability,” Ms Webster said.
“Ongoing evaluation, transparency, and engagement with people with lived experience will be critical as these changes continue to roll out.”
As part of tier two of the reforms, 311 GPs, located in Sydney, the Central Coast, Far West NSW, the Hunter, the Illawarra, the Mid North Coast and the Nepean, started undergoing training to be able to diagnose and treat ADHD (as “endorsed prescribers”) in March. The next round of training is expected to start in November this year, according to the department website.
“We’d really love that number to be double that. We had double that number of GPs actually put up their hands saying they wanted to be trained in this space and we’d really love to see the government expand those training positions to cover all of the GPs wanting to undertake training in this area,” RACGP NSW/ACT chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman told HSD back in March.
Applications for GPs for future training rounds were open and GPs could apply to become a continuation prescriber “at any time”, the government said.
