Victorian ADHD program website directs patients to wrong clinics, sparking confusion

The directory, which went live on October 26, was meant to direct patients to clinics offering the new GP ADHD service, where about 150 general practitioners had been newly trained under a state program to diagnose, treat and prescribe stimulants for ADHD. Instead, it listed services that do not offer GP consultations at all, as well as a health service that is not even open.

Previously, only specialists such as paediatricians and psychiatrists could treat ADHD, leading to high costs and waiting lists of up to a year for the estimated 163,000 Victorian children and 320,000 adults living with the condition. The reforms were intended to reduce barriers; Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said they would save families thousands of dollars and up to a year of waiting time.

Mental Health Victoria chief executive Phillipa Thomas said the errors meant non-participating health services were last week inundated with calls from people trying to book appointments for ADHD services that were not available. “Many callers were already frustrated at having been turned away from other incorrectly listed providers, and understandably people’s patience was pretty thin. You can imagine how the situation compounded over days; with increasingly distressed callers at one end, and increasingly distressed and overwhelmed health service staff at the other,” Thomas said. She called it “a disappointing start and a reminder that it’s not in anyone’s interest for significant policy changes like these to be rushed.”

After The Age contacted the Department of Health about the errors, a government spokesperson confirmed that “a small number of clinics” had requested changes to their listings. In the days that followed, 14 services were removed from the list and five were added. One service, The Living Room in Melbourne’s Hosier Lane that provided support for people experiencing homelessness, was only removed on Friday despite having closed the previous month.

The government denied it had bungled the rollout, saying the changes included instances where ADHD-trained doctors had consented to publication of their details before later requesting removals. It has now asked the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) to ensure doctors communicate with their clinics about their participation and public listing.

RACGP Victoria chair Dr Anita Muñoz said the list was regularly updated to reflect local capacity. “The level of demand we’re seeing demonstrates why these reforms matter, and why we really need to train more GPs to improve access to care,” she said.

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Victorian Branch chair associate professor Simon Stafrace urged the government to make the information up-to-date quickly “so this important reform can be delivered as intended, particularly in communities where people already face significant barriers to accessing ADHD and mental health care.”

Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said the changes would make it easier and cheaper for hardworking Victorians to access a timely ADHD diagnosis. Victoria’s changes allow trained GPs to diagnose and treat ADHD in adults and children aged six years and over from October 26. Queensland was the first state to allow GPs to diagnose and prescribe for ADHD in December, followed by South Australia, NSW, Western Australia and Tasmania.