Expanding general practitioner scope of practice for diagnosis and treatment of ADHD will be on the national agenda for 2026.
Last week’s Health Ministers Meeting may not have seen the National Health Reform Agreement signed, sealed and delivered, but it did mark out GPs as being one of the focus points for 2026 scope of practice reforms.
According to a communique from the Friday meeting, which was held in Brisbane and attended by state, territory and federal health ministers, an advisory group to lead work on harmonised drugs and poisons legislation has now been established.
It is set to report back with a 12-month plan by early 2026.
Harmonising the individual state and territory drugs and poisons legislation would essentially make it easier to nationalise decisions about which groups of health professionals are allowed to prescribe certain drugs.
Expanded prescribing capabilities have been the focus of scope reforms for GPs working in ADHD medicine, as well as for community pharmacists and registered nurses more generally.
Under the current settings, for example, when something like a pharmacist-led prescribing trial is set to go ahead, the state must manually pass an exemption to give pharmacists temporary or permanent permission to prescribe a medicine like an antibiotic or a contraceptive.
It does appear that consistency of scope is what the ministers have in mind; the communique also indicated that the ministers had discussed scope of practice in community pharmacies and that “reform is underway to improve consistency and access across Australia”.
The health ministers also reportedly requested the newly-formed advisory group for advice on a nationally consistent approach to the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD by GPs.
Reforms so far have been piecemeal.
As of 1 December, Queensland GPs can diagnose, prescribe and initiate medicine for ADHD in both adults and children with no additional training requirements.
GPs in New South Wales are allowed to write continuation scripts for children, so long as they have completed a short online course. They can also apply to the NSW Ministry of Health for “other designated prescriber” status, which allows them to commence psychostimulants in newly diagnosed children.
From early 2026, NSW GPs who have done additional training can become “endorsed prescribers” and commence psychostimulant prescriptions for patients of all ages.
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The Australian Capital Territory will be following the NSW government’s lead.
Tasmania also changed its rules this year to allow GPs with additional training to prescribe medicine for ADHD for both children and adults, but providers must reapply for authorisation to prescribe every three years.
From 2026, GPs in South Australia can undertake additional training through the RACGP to diagnose and prescribe for ADHD in patients of all ages.
Western Australia currentlyallows GPs to write continuation scripts for ADHD, but they cannot independently make dose adjustments.
The state is now offering training through the RACGP to allow GPs to independently diagnose and manage the condition.
Victorian GPs cannot diagnose ADHD or initiate a stimulant prescription. They can write continuation scripts, but only once they have obtained a permit for that specific patient from the state.
GPs in the Northern Territory are subject to similar conditions.
There are no current plans for reform in either Victoria or the Northern Territory.
