How GPs become qualified to diagnose and manage adult ADHD in Australia

In December 2025, Queensland became the first Australian state to remove all restrictions on GP-led adult ADHD care. GPs with appropriate training can now assess, diagnose, and prescribe for adult ADHD patients without involving a psychiatrist at any point in the pathway. It is a substantial change, and other states are following quickly.

If you are a GP considering whether to start offering ADHD assessments, the question is not whether the law permits it. The question is what you need to do to be prepared.

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What Queensland actually changed

Queensland has allowed GPs to prescribe stimulant medications for children with ADHD since 2017. Adult ADHD prescribing by GPs was subject to additional restrictions until 1 December 2025, when those restrictions were removed.

From that date, a GP in Queensland no longer requires a specialist to initiate, co-sign, or review an adult ADHD prescription. A GP who has completed appropriate training can conduct the full pathway independently: assessment, diagnosis, initiation of treatment, and ongoing management.

Queenslands position is informed by the AADPA Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for ADHD, which provides the clinical framework underpinning GP-led assessment across all age groups. Queensland Healths earlier 2017 changes for children and the 2025 adult reforms both align with that guideline.

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What training do GPs need?

Queensland does not currently require GPs to hold a specific formal credential before conducting adult ADHD assessments. The requirement, as it stands, is appropriate training and competence. What that looks like in practice is shaped by the AADPA guidelines and RACGP resources, not a mandatory certification.

That said, the training landscape is clearly defined.

AADPA clinical guidelines

The Australian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA) Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for ADHD is the foundational reference for assessment and management in general practice. It covers the clinical framework for adult and paediatric assessment, the role of collateral information, medication initiation, and ongoing management. Any GP taking on ADHD assessment work should read this document. It is publicly available at aadpa.com.au.

RACGP resources

The RACGP has a Specific Interests group for ADHD, ASD, and Neurodiversity. The RACGP publishes CPD-eligible learning resources on ADHD management, and the AADPA Prescribing Guide for the Continuation of Care and Co-Managed Care in General Practice is endorsed by the RACGP as an approved clinical resource.

AADPA endorsed prescriber training

In states where GP prescribing required an endorsed prescriber credential, AADPA has run a training program through which GPs complete supervised learning and demonstrate competence before being authorised to prescribe. This program was the mechanism through which SA and VIC GPs gained prescribing rights during their reform processes.

In Queensland, because all restrictions have now been removed, the endorsed prescriber pathway is not a regulatory prerequisite. However, completing an AADPA training program remains a sound way to develop and document the competence that the RACGP standard requires.

Practical floor

At a minimum, a GP taking on adult ADHD assessments in Queensland should be familiar with:

• The DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for ADHD
• The ASRS v1.1 as the primary validated rating scale for adults
• How to elicit and document collateral history
• The evidence requirements for childhood onset
• Differential diagnosis considerations (anxiety, mood disorders, sleep disorders, substance use)
• Stimulant prescribing obligations under the Therapeutic Goods Act, including Schedule 8 requirements

The AADPA guidelines and RACGP resources cover all of these.

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Is there a GP ADHD directory?

There is not a single national directory of GPs qualified to assess and manage ADHD.

The AADPA maintains a directory of ADHD professionals at aadpa.com.au, which includes GPs who are AADPA members. This is a voluntary listing. It is not a register of credentialled or endorsed prescribers, and it does not constitute formal certification.

The RACGP does not maintain a specialist sub-register for ADHD-trained GPs. FRACGP is a generalist qualification. There is no equivalent to a GP with special interests (GPwSI) designation for ADHD in the way that exists in the UK.

That gap is exactly why My Specialist GP was built. When the Queensland reforms opened in December 2025, patients had permission to see a GP for ADHD — but no reliable way to find one who actually offered the service. My Specialist GP is a telehealth practice and directory created specifically for this: connecting patients across Australia with GPs who are set up to do thorough ADHD assessments. Find a GP who does ADHD assessments.

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Where the other states stand

Queensland led the way in December 2025. Other states are moving along similar lines, at different speeds. If you are a patient, see the Queensland ADHD assessment options at My Specialist GP.

New South Wales

NSW GPs can currently prescribe for ADHD continuation care, meaning they can manage patients who already have an established diagnosis and stable medication from a specialist. Independent initiation of diagnosis and treatment by a GP requires an endorsed prescriber credential. An endorsed prescriber training pathway is underway in NSW. This page will be updated as the NSW rollout timeline is confirmed.

South Australia

SA completed an initial cohort of RACGP-delivered, SA Government-funded training on 27 February 2026, with 100 GPs completing the program — 60 from Adelaide and 40 from regional areas. Authority to diagnose, treat, and prescribe for patients aged 8 and older commenced 28 February 2026. A second cohort of 100 GPs was committed subject to the SA state election in March 2026. SA is one of the most structured rollouts nationally, with a named training provider, a clear cohort structure, and publicly reported completion numbers.

Victoria

The Victorian Government has committed $750,000 to train 150 GPs in ADHD assessment and management by September 2026. The program is delivered through an AADPA-aligned training model. GPs who complete the program will be able to initiate adult ADHD care independently. The investment is the largest single government commitment to GP ADHD training nationally.

ACT

The ACT moved to Stage 1 continuation prescribing in February 2026, allowing GPs to manage patients with established diagnoses. Stage 2, which is expected to cover independent initiation, is planned for later in 2026. This page will be updated when the ACT Stage 2 date is announced.

Northern Territory

No reform announced as of April 2026. The NT remains the only jurisdiction without a stated pathway for GP-led ADHD prescribing.

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The national picture

Associate Professor John Kramer, Chair of RACGP Specific Interest ADHD, ASD, and Neurodiversity, has said: “2026 will go down as the year when GP ADHD care came of age in Australia.”

That is not marketing language. The numbers support it. Within twelve months, every major jurisdiction will have created a pathway for GPs to manage ADHD without mandatory specialist involvement. The clinical framework exists in the AADPA guidelines. The training infrastructure is being built state by state. The Medicare items (44 and 2717 are the most commonly used) mean the pathway is financially viable.

For patients, the practical effect is significant. A full two-session ADHD assessment through a GP costs $400 to $600 out of pocket. Through a psychiatrist, the same pathway costs $600 to $1,600 or more — and that is before accounting for wait times of six months or longer. For regional patients in particular, the GP pathway is often the only one that is geographically accessible. See a full cost comparison at My Specialist GP.

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The gap that training does not fill

There is one thing the training pathways do not address: the time it takes to conduct a thorough assessment within a GP appointment structure.

A complete adult ADHD assessment requires the ASRS v1.1, collateral history from an observer, evidence of childhood onset, a developmental history, medical and mental health screening, and differential diagnosis reasoning. Without pre-appointment infrastructure, much of that information has to be gathered live during the consultation itself. For most GPs, that means 40 to 45 minutes per assessment.

The training qualifies a GP to do this work. It does not reduce the time it takes to gather the evidence. When a patient arrives having already completed a structured intake, provided an observer report, and uploaded relevant documents, the consultation time is spent on clinical reasoning rather than information gathering. The AADPA guidelines describe what to collect. The preparation question is how.

Velluto handles the preparation. Structured patient intake, automated observer workflow, document extraction, and a clinical summary pack assembled before the appointment starts. It is built for the assessment framework the AADPA guidelines describe. If you are setting up an ADHD assessment service in your practice, that is the workflow question to solve alongside the training one.

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Queensland is the proof of concept. SA and VIC are executing. NSW and ACT are moving. By the end of 2026, the infrastructure question, not the regulatory one, will be the thing that separates GP practices that can absorb this work from those that cannot.

If you are working through your training options, the Australian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA) guidelines are the place to start. The AADPA directory at aadpa.com.au lists member GPs and provides access to the endorsed prescriber training program for states where that is the regulatory route. For Queensland GPs, the training is a professional development decision, not a regulatory one.

If you are a patient looking for a GP who offers ADHD assessments, My Specialist GP provides telehealth ADHD assessment for adults across Australia, including a full breakdown of assessment options and costs.