Armidale Rural Generalist Dr Rod Martin said the State Government’s new laws allowing doctors to resupply Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medication to their patients, are a small light at the end of a longer tunnel.
From September, general practitioners in New South Wales will be able to provide ongoing ADHD prescriptions for both children and adults on stable medication doses with no need for a formal arrangement.
But further training will be required of select GPs to carry out initial diagnoses and initiate medication under the new regulations. Dr Martin said he hopes this may be in place by the end of the year.
However, some local parents say the latest reforms don’t solve current problems for people with ADHD.
Armidale parent Bevan Michel said his 14-year-old son needs a new prescription every six months, and while it can be supplied by a GP, right now there is no practising paediatrician in town to provide a formal diagnosis so that ongoing medication can be supplied.
“In Queensland medication can be prescribed by a GP but not here – where it still must be prescribed by a practising paediatrician. That’s a problem for about 200 kids in the region,” he said.
“We ended up cutting back our son’s medication, which he really needs, then having to consult with a telehealth paediatrician in Sydney, costing us about $700.”
“So, right now the reforms are not a great solution for many in rural areas where there is no practising paediatrician in town.”
“And many specialists in rural areas are so busy they are not even taking referrals, so this is an increasing crisis for many.”
Mr Michel said a temporary solution would be to allow better access to online paediatricians who can bulk bill and allow GPs to write a prescription even if the diagnosing paediatrician is no longer practising.
“We have been able to get the money together to pay to get a new prescription every six months but for many families, there’s no way they can do that.”
Dr Martin, who is also president of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, said the recent reforms are good news and he’s hopeful further regulations will be introduced once more GP training has been completed for them to work with ADHD patients.
“The reforms are a step forward and hopefully we can see further change through the Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant, who has very much championed progress in this area,” he said.
“I’m confident in Dr Chant’s ability to affect change faster than we have previously seen.”
Dr Kerry Chant said NSW Health is proud to have worked on the recent reforms to create another avenue for patients to receive the care they need.
“We look forward to supporting doctors who make the decision to complete this training.
“This is the first step in a major reform to make ADHD care cheaper, faster and easier to access.”
Dr Martin said increased numbers of medical generalists and specialists were needed in rural areas and support structures are required for them to stay in regional and small towns.
“Currently we have locums coming into towns like Armidale especially for services like obstetrics.
“A whole support structure needs to be redeveloped around how we get medical staff into rural areas, so that they stay and part of this means making sure they have decent work life balance.
“This is not only the responsibility of government but needs a more holistic approach.
“Associate Professor John Kramer in Woolgoolga on the coast has also been working hard for progress, even before ADHD became a serious issue here in Armidale.
“For ADHD patients, the most recent reforms are a positive step, but I hope that by the end of the year there will be sufficient GPs with the right training to be able to do diagnosis and initial prescribing of medication.
“We need a national move to harmonise the laws about how this is managed so that NSW is in line with states like Queensland where the system works very well.”
New South Wales Health said up to 1100 GPs are eligible to access ADHD patient training and they can now register their interest in completing the required study.
Once trained, GPs will be able to safely and legally provide resupply to eligible patients.
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