Capital territory’s chief psychiatrist to allow GPs to diagnose and prescribe for ADHD

ABC NEWS (Australia)

In Canberra, the path to diagnosis and treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, can often be lengthy, arduous and expensive. But hopefully, not for much longer. The territory's chief psychiatrist is currently finalising plans for a pilot program that will see general practitioners given more power to diagnose the condition and prescribe appropriate medication to young patients.

Transcript

00:00For Durrani Jackson, finding a specialist in Canberra to assess her teenager for ADHD was

00:09like finding an elusive puzzle piece.

00:11Well we couldn't. We didn't actually manage to get anyone in Canberra.

00:17On a friend's recommendation, they instead made an appointment to see a psychologist

00:21in Orange, 300 kilometres from home. Within weeks, Phoebe had a diagnosis.

00:28It was like a lot of things, it was like oh I'm not actually really bad at these subjects,

00:36I just process slower.

00:39The diagnosis came in 2023, but late last year it became clear medication was needed.

00:47It's just these huge cycles of just days of going I can't think properly and so I went

00:54we can't do the HSC under these conditions.

00:57Psychiatrists can't prescribe ADHD medication and so the hunt for a psychiatrist close to

01:04home began.

01:05I have spent eight months making phone calls, trying to get in.

01:12It came to nothing. Instead the pair will make the 700 kilometre round trip to see a psychiatrist

01:19in Albury later this month.

01:20I really want it in time so that I don't do really badly on the HSC and I really dislike

01:30not doing well.

01:31This is like life and death stuff for our children and we can't get, and it's not because the

01:38professionals aren't amazing, they just have no capacity.

01:42Hopefully not for much longer.

01:44The ACT's chief psychiatrist has revealed plans for a pilot program that will see general

01:51practitioners diagnose and treat ADHD. A task currently only done by psychiatrists, paediatricians

02:00and neurologists.

02:02What we recommend is a plan that has two streams. One stream will be for GPs to be able to do

02:06the actual diagnosis and prescribing and the other stream to do the prescribing but on a

02:11much broader level than we have now.

02:13The pilot is likely to start in early 2026 and include a group of more than 70 doctors.

02:20They will need to apply to the chief health officer and then complete comprehensive training.

02:26Each GP will be supervised by a specialist and be required to refer on complex patients.

02:33There will be an age limit for patients but whether that's 18 or 26 year olds is yet to

02:39be decided.

02:40We need to recognise that we can't meet this need through our private practitioners so we

02:45have to have a different way of managing it but I wouldn't do it if it wasn't safe.

02:49It's news that prompted paediatrician Kim Bland to breathe a sigh of relief.

02:54And with my books closed and that being well known, we are still getting daily inquiries

03:00from families, not just looking for care like they would for other medical conditions but

03:06being in crisis.

03:07How long is it until I have a free appointment?

03:10Turning those families away is one of the hardest parts of her job.

03:15This is just a huge relief for paediatricians. It takes some of that weight that is sitting

03:20on top of us and contributing to our burnout and will remove it for us. It really is a pressure

03:27valve for us.

03:29And it's a role general practitioners like Kerriost are keen to take on.

03:33Every little bit counts. If one doctor can see two or three new patients a week then that's

03:39a huge change to the backlog.

03:40But, she warns, patients will still need to be, well, patient.

03:46It's not going to be a case of just booking the 15 minute appointment with the GP and coming

03:50in and walking out with a diagnosis. It will still take time and patience and sometimes

03:56we do need to try a few things before we get it right. But I do think being able to access

04:01regular care with your GP is a really positive step.

04:03When Durrani Jackson considers how different Phoebe's experience could have been, had they

04:09been part of the pilot, the single mother is brought to tears.

04:13It might have been a very different journey than we've had.

04:17But she's glad the system is improving for others.

04:21Maybe there's a little undiagnosed, you know, girl in year seven who can be picked up now

04:28and find life a much easier journey as a result.

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