News

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SA unveils GP ADHD training program

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Up to 100 South Australian GPs will be ready to diagnose and treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from February 2026, under a new training package announced on Wednesday by the State Government.
 
The training, which will be led by the RACGP and was developed in collaboration with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, will enable GPs to diagnose, treat and prescribe medication for ADHD for eligible South Australians.
 
As part of the training, GPs will complete two initial RACGP online training modules by the end of 2025, followed by a full day in-person education session in February 2026.
 
Following successful completion of this education session, GPs will be able to diagnose and initiate ADHD treatments for those aged eight years and older.
 
GPs will also receive resources from the Australasian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA), as well as, over the following nine months, six peer group learning sessions.
 
Expressions of interest open this week.
 
RACGP Board and SA Chair Dr Siân Goodson said the funding package was going to make ‘a real difference in South Australia’.
 
‘I’m just really chuffed that we’ve managed to work so well with the other two colleges in the state,’ she told newsGP.
 
‘That gives real weight to the program, and the fact that the education will be delivered by GPs and special interests, plus local child and adult psychiatrists and local paediatricians, it really means that we’re going to get a really good community practice network going in SA.
 
‘Once people start doing this work, often that’s when you’ve got the questions and when you want to discuss a case specifically, and that will be collaboration again with paediatricians and psychiatrists, so we’re really going to get that community of practice going.’
 
The SA Government’s announcement comes on the eve of a watershed day for ADHD management in Western Australia, with the first 17 of 65 WA GPs to begin that state’s ADHD GP Training Program on Friday.
 
The $1.3 million state-funded program, announced in June, will enable WA GPs to diagnose and treat ADHD in patients aged 10 and older, after they complete a six-month training program.
 
All 65 are expected to complete the program by August 2026.
 
In both WA and SA, those seeking diagnosis and treatment face long waiting times, which each state’s training program aims to address.
 
‘We’ve been able to prescribe stimulants and manage these patients for a long time, so the only bit we haven’t been able to do is actually confirm the diagnosis, so often we’re referring to just really get that diagnosis confirmed,’ Dr Goodson said.
 
‘There’s already a lot of GPs with a reasonable amount of knowledge in this space already who are very keen to be able to take that one step further and actually confirm the diagnosis themselves.’
 
RACGP Vice President and WA Chair Dr Ramya Raman told newsGP that GPs in WA could currently manage patients with ADHD under a shared care model with a non-GP specialist, with GPs able to re-prescribe medication.
 
She said WA has been the first state to ‘lead the discussions’ and initiate training programs for GPs.
 
‘It has taken us a few years to move through this,’ she said. ‘The focus again and again has been on patient safety, which is absolutely the right thing to do, and the training is indicative of emphasising patient safety and evidence.
 
‘Western Australia has led the way nationally, and this program ensures that GPs are not only trained but supported through real-world case discussions and specialist mentorship.’
 
WA’s six-month training program includes:

• two online RACGP modules on diagnosis, management, and pharmacology 
• six peer-group online sessions co-facilitated by AADPA specialists, paediatricians, and psychiatrists 
• asynchronous case discussions, supervised shared-care case conferences, and mentorship 
• access to clinical resources, including AADPA guidelines. 

 
The RACGP has advocated for a nationally consistent model for ADHD reform in its position statement, as has every state, territory and federal health minister.

With an estimated one in 20 people in Australia having ADHD, most Australian states and territories have introduced various reforms aimed at increasing GPs’ scope of practice to ADHD treatment.
 
Victoria and the Northern Territory remain the only jurisdictions not to announce any reforms.
 
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ADHD ADHD GP Training attention deficit hyperactivity disorder South Australia Western Australia

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