Major ADHD change will let Queensland GPs diagnose adults for the first time
Queensland will become the first state to allow GPs to diagnose and treat adult ADHD patients, a move aiming to slash wait times and costs for thousands seeking diagnosis.
Queensland will become the first state or territory to allow general practitioners to diagnose and treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in adults.
The changes, announced on Saturday, are expected to come into effect by December 1 and will remove the final barrier that has prevented GPs from diagnosing and prescribing ADHD in adults.
The move has been applauded by the peak body for GPs and is expected to reduce growing backlogs and costly specialist appointments for adults waiting to be formally diagnosed.
Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the move would improve accessibility and affordability for Queenslanders.
“This will allow easier and more affordable access to healthcare services that’s great for patients, for their families, and it is also good for the public health system here in Queensland,” he said.
“These changes will be implemented carefully, with safeguards in place to ensure patient safety and quality of care.”
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) are confident most GPs would offer the service and would not be required to undergo any additional training.
“GPS in Queensland undergo rigorous specialist training to gain their fellowship in general practice, and part of this training is to provide the comprehensive and complex management of conditions that are chronic, such as ADHD,” RACGP Queensland Faculty Chair Dr Cath Hester said.
“Queensland GPs are well placed because we have already been diagnosing and managing ADHD in children from the ages of 4 to 18.”
Select specialists – including psychiatrists and pediatricians for children – were previously responsible for the diagnosis and management of ADHD.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) have welcomed the announcement, but Queensland branch Chair Professor Brett Emmerson said GPs should receive further training.
“I think the main issue here is knowing that the people who are now able to diagnose and treat have the skills to be able to do that,” he said.
“There’ll be a large range of GPs who have been doing this for years with children, who I think will be easily able to step into that.
“But there may be others who, if you underwent training 20 years ago for the fellowship of Australian College of General Practitioners, and all of a sudden, now you’re wanting to start exercising, that’s old knowledge, and the treatment of ADHD has moved considerably since then, so I think without training, there are risks.”
Queensland will also expand the prescribing authority of pediatricians to include patients with ADHD aged 18 to 25 years.
Significant medication shortages continue to impact patients across the country and Mr Nicholls acknowledged the Therapeutic Goods Administration were continuing to secure alternative supply so that the full range of treatments are available again.
