Queensland GPs will be able to diagnose adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and prescribe them with medication to treat it, under changes that will come into force from December 1.

Announcing the move on Saturday, Health Minister Tim Nicholls touted it as a “nation-leading first” in treating ADHD.

While South Australia, New South Wales, Western Australia and the ACT have announced similar changes this year to expand access to ADHD drugs, Queensland’s will be the broadest when they come into effect next month.

“Queensland will become the first state to allow specialist GPs to diagnose and prescribe psychostimulants for those patients who present over the age of 18 with ADHD ... no matter where they are throughout the state,” Nicholls said on Saturday.

“This will allow more affordable access to healthcare services.”

Nicholls made the announcement at the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) annual conference in Brisbane.

ADHD affects an estimated 6 to 10 per cent of children and adolescents, and 2 to 6 per cent of adults in Australia.

Under existing regulations, Queensland GPs could only diagnose and prescribe medication to children aged four to 17.

The RACGP’s chair, Dr Cath Hester, told media that GPs were ideally placed to diagnose and treat ADHD, as it was a lifelong condition that often began in childhood and ran in families.

“ADHD care can be done safely and with a high quality by your GP in your community, someone who knows you and knows your medical history and often manages many patients and many people in your family,” she said.

She said GPs would follow established national guidelines, which had been developed in consultation with psychiatrists and paediatric specialists.

“GPs … have already been diagnosing and managing ADHD in children,” she said.

“Extending this scope of practice to include the care of adult patients is a very natural and very safe progression in the care of these patients who desperately need improved access to services.”

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