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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