After the budget release, the WA government has outlined further details on its plans for GP treatment of ADHD.
The Western Australian government has released further detail on its initiative to improve accessibility for ADHD care.
WA was one of the first states to announce an initiative geared toward allowing GP-led diagnosis and prescribing for ADHD, with now nearly every other state having followed suit.
The reform came as part of the Cook Labor government’s election promise to expand accessibility for treatment of the condition.
Now, with the state further along in the process, other states are now looking to WA as the benchmark for how these reforms are to be implemented.
Further detail on just how it will look came as part of the release of the 2025-26 state budget, with $1.3 million being allocated towards the ADHD GP Program and related support for GPs treating patients with ADHD.
This funding will provide training for 65 specialist GPs to diagnose ADHD and prescribe stimulant medication for patients aged 10 and older.
With support from RACGP WA, other medical specialists and WA Health, the training is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
“These reforms are about breaking down barriers for families, enabling them to get the ADHD care they need,” WA Health and Mental Health minister Meredith Hammat said.
“By giving GPs the right training and support, we’re expanding access to safe, timely, and effective treatment in the community.
“Also, through our investment in ADHD WA, we’re making sure families have access to support and guidance at every step, not just through medication.”
As WA leads the charge on this issue, there are still concerns over how the initiative could ripple into other states’ reforms.
“We were actually really grateful for the support to start with, with the initiative and the money that has been allocated, it will be a starting point for us to get the ball rolling for the initial 65 GPS that has been allocated for this programme at this point in time,” RACGP vice president and WA chair Dr Ramya Raman told The Medical Republic.
“We’re still waiting on further details of how the 1.3 million would be allocated and distributed in terms of that, so the finer details are yet to come.”
Related
Cross-disciplinary collaboration has been touted by the college as a core part of the training elements of the initiative to help promote pathways towards specialists via general practice.
“There will be some asynchronous help from non-GP specialists as well, such as paediatricians and psychiatrists,” Dr Raman told TMR.
“There is wrap around care appropriate referral pathways and seeking appropriate help and escalation of care when needed but also acknowledging that when the patient knows their GP and they have an established relationship.
“We are hopeful that this will have success within regional and remote Western Australia as well.”
