‘Groundbreaking’: Date set for ADHD diagnosis training in NSW

New South Wales GPs will be able to begin training to diagnose and initiate prescribing for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from March, the State Government announced on Wednesday.
 
Almost 600 GPs have already expressed interest in the training so far, with the Government-funded training places prioritised for GPs ‘working in the areas of greatest need’.
 
Dr Chris Timms, a GP at Family Medical Practices in the Sutherland Shire, appeared alongside NSW Health Minister Ryan Park to welcome the news.
 
He described the reforms as ‘groundbreaking’.
 
‘It is life-changing for our patients, and that’s approximately 600,000 patients living in New South Wales with ADHD,’ Dr Timms told newsGP.
 
‘Allowing GPs to be upskilled to diagnose and treat ADHD is providing affordable, accessible and effective care, and it will cut wait times, and it will cut costs.’
 
Already a continuation prescriber, Dr Timms said he hopes to be approved for the training and encouraged NSW GPs to add to what he described as ‘overwhelming interest’ in the program.
 
‘It is a great measure for improving the quality of someone’s life, be it at home, be it at work, be it with their education, and that there is a supportive system there that has been constructed in a safe framework,’ he said.
 
‘We, as the whole-of-body specialists, as GPs, are very well placed to manage mild to moderate complexity ADHD patients and potentially co-manage the complex ADHD patients with psychiatric or paediatric input.’
 
Lucia Porteus, a 21-year-old psychology graduate living with ADHD, said the change will help improve access to treatment for her peers.
 
‘What helped me most to overcome the challenges of ADHD was not just medication but also the continued access to treatment and support I received from my ADHD coach, my school, my paediatricians, my GPs and my family,’ she said.
 
‘I have been lucky. Many of my peers have struggled to access medication or a diagnosis for ADHD because of costs and long wait lists, but this new policy will remove those barriers for so many people.’
 
Successful completion of the training, which NSW Health says can last from three to six months, will give GPs endorsed prescriber authority, allowing them to initiate, switch and continue to prescribe psychostimulant medicines, including dexamfetamine, lisdexamfetamine and methylphenidate.
 
Training will be delivered either via pre-scheduled live sessions or self-paced online courses depending on GP preference.
 
The authority will apply for prescribing to patients aged six and older with newly diagnosed ADHD.
 
NSW Health also advises that GPs will be able to commence prescribing psychostimulants once they have completed ‘certain elements’ of the program while their training to become an endorsed prescriber is still underway.
 
RACGP NSW&ACT Chair Dr Rebekah Hoffman said the move to allow patients to receive an ADHD diagnosis from trained GPs could change lives.
 
‘The evidence indicates up to 10% of children, and 6% of adults, live with ADHD,’ she said.
 
‘This is a common condition that can be diagnosed and managed well by a specialist GP with appropriate training.
 
‘Access to an ADHD diagnosis and ongoing care is very often life changing.’
 
The announcement signals the beginning of the second significant phase of sweeping ADHD reforms in the state, after GPs were given the green light to become ‘continuation prescribers’ from September 2025.
 
More than 800 GPs have signed up for training so far under that initiative, helping more than 5000 patients since the reforms took place.
 
Also on Wednesday, the ACT Government announced the start of a similar measure, allowing GPs to continue prescribing ADHD medication for patients with an existing diagnosis, who are stable on their medication, and aged six years or older.
 
The new arrangements are available to GPs who have completed approved training.
 
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ADHD attention deficit hyperactivity disorder NSW Health