ADHD reform training details revealed

A $1.3 million commitment for training and support for GPs leads the Western Australian Government’s suite of reforms for diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 
 
Announced on Wednesday, the ADHD GP Program will see GPs trained using online models developed by the RACGP, buoyed by peer learning and mentorship from psychiatrists and paediatricians.

The training will be rolled out later this year to 65 GPs, in staggered groups of 10, 25 and 25 participants, who will then begin providing care by early 2026.
 
Once trained, GPs will be able to assess ADHD in patients aged 10 and older and prescribe stimulant medications.
 
RACGP Vice President and WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman said the announcement is ‘a great example of concrete changes coming out of the RACGP’s advocacy on ADHD’.
 
‘Western Australia has led the way in ADHD, sparking a flurry of national activity to increase access to ADHD assessment and management by specialist GPs,’ she said.
 
Dr Raman told newsGP that once GPs complete their online modules, they will then undertake six months of collaboration and consultation with paediatricians and psychiatrists in monthly peer group sessions, ‘to ensure that the training is real-life and case studies can be discussed’.
  
She said while the RACGP knows not all GPs will be interested in the training, ‘the idea is that GPs who are interested in this space, specifically in rural and remote areas’ would take up the offer.
 
Chair of the RACGP WA ADHD Working Group, Dr Sean Stevens, told newsGP the program is a ‘groundbreaking initiative’ that has ‘opened the floodgates in other states’.
 
‘It really shows what you can do with concerted advocacy, when GPs put their mind to something,’ he said
 
‘Making systems change is never easy, but getting this together has been great.
 
‘GPs just have to be part of the solution. That’s what we do. We know our patients, so we can provide a solution to this problem, as long as we get given the resources to do so.’
 
Wednesday’s training announcement, first foreshadowed by the WA Government in February, comes hot on the heels of similar announcements in the past week by state governments in Tasmania and South Australia, and last month from New South Wales.
 
As with other states, the WA reforms aim to ease pressure on paediatricians and psychiatrists, giving more people earlier access to diagnosis and treatment.
 
The WA package also includes $1.2 million for ADHD WA to expand its services to families, which include counselling, peer support, coaching, and guidance on non-medication options.
 
WA Health Minister Meredith Hammatt said the reforms are about ‘breaking down barriers’ to ADHD care for families.
 
‘By giving GPs the right training and support, we’re expanding access to safe, timely, and effective treatment in the community,’ she said.
 
‘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.’
 
The training modules are available online for all RACGP members on the college’s gplearning platform.
 
GPs interested in participating in the training can contact the RACGP WA team at wa@racgp.org.au
 
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