The NSW government has announced new reforms to ADHD treatment regulations that will allow GPs to diagnose and prescribe for the condition.
The NSW government has announced changes to ADHD diagnoses and prescriptions, with the state’s GPsto be allowed to treat the condition.
The new laws will allow for GPs to provide ongoing ADHD prescriptions for both children and adults on stable medication doses with no need for a formal arrangement.
Further training will be required of select GPs to carry out diagnoses and initiate medication under the new regulations.
Accessibility is the primary reason for the reforms, with the state government citing the financial and logistical challenges in being able to see specialists for diagnosis and treatment of the condition.
“By safely training more GPs to treat and diagnose ADHD, we are hoping to break the cycle of people having to wait years for what can be a life-altering diagnosis,” premier Chris Minns said in a statement.
“Not getting diagnosed and not being able to access treatment can have a particularly big impact on a child getting the most out of their life, whether that’s academically or socially.”
The reforms are expected to be implemented via a staged approach with prescriptions for children being the first focus.
NSW is not alone with these reforms with Queensland introducing similar reforms in 2017 for child prescriptions and Western Australia announcing their commitment in February to also introduce similar changes.
Training for GPs is expected to occur in the coming months with the first wave of GPs cleared to provide ongoing prescriptions in early 2026.
“It’s about making sure that those that need it can get the diagnosis and support, whether in regional and rural and urban areas,” Professor Adam Guastella told The Medical Republic.
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“It’s not just simply about shifting the care of people with ADHD from public health systems into primary care.
“It’s also about maintaining those systems for complicated cases where support is going to need to be provided by multidisciplinary teams.”
The Australasian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA) has welcomed the reforms, stating that the changes will “improve access to care, cut waiting times and bring down costs”.
However, the AADPA called for a national approach to the issue that would ensure a national standard for assessment, diagnosis and care.
Regarding fears of overdiagnosis from the reforms, GPs have stated that the condition has been historically undertreated, which is why diagnosis rates may come as a shock to some.
“The reason why everyone’s TikTok feeds and Instagram feeds are filled with ADHD content is actually more around the fact that the general public understands this condition and how it affects everyone, and people start to identify it more within themselves,” NSW RACGP deputy chair, Dr Max Mollenkopf told The Medical Republic.
“The idea of over-diagnosis ignores the under-recognition that has been going on for a very long time.
“We know already the background rates of ADHD run somewhere around the 5% to 8% mark.
“GPs are well placed to diagnose a huge array of neurodivergent conditions. We already see these patients every day in our practices.”
