‘Real sense of excitement’ at Perth ADHD symposium

Hundreds of GPs, researchers, educators and politicians gathered in Perth last Saturday, all sharing one goal: to improve outcomes for people living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Western Australia.
 
The RACGP WA ADHD symposium brought the professions together to share knowledge, emerging practice, and strengthen collaboration across disciplines as ADHD treatment in the state enters a new era.  
 
For RACGP Vice President and WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman, the presence of people from a variety of backgrounds, from GPs to pharmacists and paediatricians, told a story of collaborative effort.  
 
‘After more than three years of advocacy, we’ve got a structured ADHD GP training pathway with guardrails and collaboration,’ she told newsGP.  
 
‘Part of the advocacy from myself and from the college and the faculty here is that the GPs are being paid to undertake this training. 
 
‘It’s a significant shift and recognition workforce reform actually requires appropriate investment for outcomes.’ 
 
The WA Government, which supported the symposium, announced last June that it would provide online training models developed by the RACGP. These include mentorship from psychiatrists and paediatricians with the goal of allowing GPs to assess ADHD in patients aged 10 and older and prescribe medications.
 
For Dr Sean Stevens, Chair of the RACGP WA ADHD working group, the event was ‘excellent’.
 
‘There was a real sense of excitement,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘This is an area where general practice is operating to the top of scope.’
 
Dr Stevens also hopes the training program, which has proved highly popular among GPs, will be extended and expanded.
 
‘For the ADHD training program we’ve got in WA, we have prioritised rural, regional and remote practitioners,’ he said.
 
‘It was great to get as many people as possible together to share ideas and meet each other.
 
‘It was a really positive event and the future’s looking bright.’
 
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ADHD attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Western Australia