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ADHD rules by state

ADHD rules in New South Wales

In New South Wales, if you think you may have ADHD, you start with a GP, who refers you to a psychiatrist, paediatrician or neurologist - those are the practitioners NSW Health authorises to diagnose you and to start stimulant treatment. An assessment may find that you do not have ADHD, or that stimulant medicine is not the right treatment for you, and non-stimulant medicines used for ADHD do not require NSW Health approval at all. Once a specialist has diagnosed you and your treatment has settled, a GP who holds the right NSW Health authority can take over your ongoing prescriptions - and the rule that catches people out most is that a NSW pharmacy cannot supply stimulant medicine unless the prescription carries a NSW approval number, no matter which state it was written in.

Last checked 2026-08-21. These rules change, sometimes at short notice. We date every page and cite the source we used, so you can check it yourself. Nothing here is advice about your own treatment — your prescriber and your state health department are the authorities on that.

Who can diagnose you

Who is allowed to make the diagnosis here?

For an adult to access stimulant treatment in NSW, the ADHD diagnosis must come from an AHPRA-registered paediatrician, psychiatrist or neurologist, or from another medical practitioner NSW Health has formally endorsed to initiate treatment. As at 21 August 2026, no GP has yet completed the NSW pathway that would allow a GP to diagnose an adult for this purpose. Non-stimulant medicines used for ADHD sit outside this approval regime entirely.

NSW medicines law regulates who may prescribe rather than who may diagnose. But NSW Health's 'Criteria for the management of medicines for ADHD by continuation prescribers' (updated 10 February 2026) states that 'The diagnosis and stabilisation of ADHD and initiation of psychostimulant medicines is generally limited to Ahpra registered paediatricians, psychiatrists, neurologists or other NSW authorised prescribers'. The same document defines a NSW authorised prescriber as 'a medical practitioner who has been formally endorsed by the NSW Ministry of Health to initiate the prescribing of psychostimulant medicines in patients with ADHD. This includes other designated prescribers (ODPs) and endorsed prescribers.' Two cautions about that list. First, ODPs are not a standing authority: NSW Health's Agency for Clinical Innovation states that 'GPs with ODP status must still obtain individual patient approvals to prescribe psychostimulant medicines', and NSW Health's prescriber page (current 6 May 2026) states that 'NSW Health will no longer issue ODP endorsements'. Existing ODP status continues; no new ODP endorsements are being granted. Second, GP endorsed prescribers are a real category in the framework but not yet a route a person can use - see the initiating section. Psychologists commonly conduct ADHD assessments in Australia, and NSW Health's own consumer page (published 21 April 2026) says 'Currently, ADHD is diagnosed by a paediatrician, psychiatrist or psychologist.' A psychologist cannot prescribe, and the NSW criteria that govern stimulant treatment name only medical practitioners. NSW Health does not state whether a psychologist's diagnosis alone satisfies the 'already been diagnosed' precondition for a GP continuation prescriber, so we have not stated that either way (see unconfirmed). An assessment may conclude that a person does not have ADHD, or that stimulant treatment is not clinically indicated. Nothing in the NSW framework guarantees a diagnosis or a particular treatment.

Who can start treatment

Who can start you on medicine, and what approval do they need?

Starting stimulant treatment in NSW requires a NSW Ministry of Health approval. Psychiatrists, paediatricians and neurologists are covered automatically by a standing class authority (reference CA2023). Every other medical practitioner needs an individual patient approval for the specific person, and NSW Health states these are generally granted only where the applicant is working with a relevant specialist. A GP route to initiating exists in the framework but is not yet available: the first group of GPs began training in mid-March 2026 and is expected to complete it from September 2026. Nurse practitioners cannot prescribe these medicines in NSW at all. Non-stimulant ADHD medicines require no NSW Health approval to start or continue.

NSW Health states that 'Psychiatrists, paediatricians, and neurologists are authorised under a class authority to prescribe or supply psychostimulant medicine', reference CA2023, and that they do not need to apply for approval for an individual patient. That class authority is limited: an individual patient approval is still required where the person is a drug-dependent person, where the medicine is for an indication other than ADHD, or where the dose exceeds the published ceilings. Those ceilings are published per medicine and are prescribing information, so they are not reproduced here. All other registered medical practitioners - including other specialties, advanced trainees, and GPs who do not hold a NSW general authority - must apply for an individual patient approval, submitted through SafeScript NSW or by form to the Pharmaceutical Services Unit. NSW Health states that applications to initiate without the recommendation, direction or endorsement of a relevant treating specialist will generally not be approved. GP ENDORSED PRESCRIBERS - ANNOUNCED, NOT YET AVAILABLE. NSW Health has created a category of GP 'endorsed prescriber' (approval numbers beginning GAEP) who 'can diagnose ADHD and initiate medicines where appropriate'. The category exists in the dispensing framework, but as at 21 August 2026 the first cohort has not finished training. NSW Health's consumer FAQ (published 30 June 2026) states 'About 300 GPs have begun endorsed prescriber training. This training is expected to be completed from September to October 2026.' The clinician FAQ states training 'commenced mid-March 2026 and will take about 6 months to complete', that there were 'over 700 EOIs and just over 300 spots available', and that 'The next round of training is expected to commence in November 2026'. A GP must already be approved as a continuation prescriber before applying for endorsed prescriber training. An adult seeking a new assessment today should not plan around this route. Nurse practitioners: 'Nurse practitioners are not authorised under the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods legislation to supply or prescribe psychostimulant medicines.' NON-STIMULANT MEDICINES. The NSW criteria document states: 'There is currently no requirement for NSW Health approval to initiate or continue prescribing or supplying non-stimulant medicines used in the treatment of ADHD.' This is a regulatory distinction about which medicines the approval scheme covers, not a comment on which treatment is appropriate for any person - that is a clinical decision. Legal basis: the criteria document states that prescribing and supplying these medicines 'is subject to compliance with the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 1966, and its regulations' and 'requires prior authorisation by the NSW Ministry of Health'. That Act is due to be repealed on 5 November 2026 (see recentChanges and reviewBy).

Who can continue it

Once you are stable, who can keep prescribing?

Since 1 September 2025, a GP who holds a NSW Ministry of Health general authority as a 'continuation prescriber' can write ongoing stimulant prescriptions for a person aged 6 or over who has already been diagnosed and is already stable on treatment, without a separate approval for each patient. That GP cannot diagnose, cannot start treatment, and cannot move a person onto a different medicine. Psychiatrists, paediatricians and neurologists can continue treatment under the class authority, including from outside NSW.

This is the part of the NSW reform that is actually in force. The general authority (approval numbers beginning GACP) is available to GPs and rural generalists who are fellows or registrars of the RACGP or ACRRM, GPs holding AHPRA specialist registration by another route, and GP registrars in primary care vocational programs. The GP must have completed NSW Health endorsed training or declared prior completion and consented to audit, and must practise within an accredited general practice, or one that has commenced accreditation. The GP must also have a therapeutic relationship with the person, meeting at least one of four tests set out in the criteria document: registration with the GP through MyMedicare; the GP having provided or being likely to provide the majority of GP services over 12 months; the practice having done so; or the GP providing the majority of their GP services within a specialty area (the criteria give neurodiversity, child health, mental health and women's health as examples) and having had an initial face-to-face consultation, having a face-to-face review at least every 12 months, and sharing information with the person's usual GP. Limits on what a continuation prescriber may do: dose increases only up to the published per-medicine ceilings; switching between different formulations of the same medicine is permitted, but 'if a switch of medicine is required ... referral to a relevant specialist is required'. The general authority cannot be used at all where the dose exceeds the ceilings, the person is under 6, or the person is a drug-dependent person - each of those needs an individual patient approval instead. Regular review of SafeScript NSW, the real-time prescription monitoring system, is a condition of the authority, and every prescription must be endorsed with the general authority number whether it is a PBS or a private prescription. Schedule 8 prescriptions are valid for six months and must specify repeat intervals if repeats are ordered. If a continuation prescriber takes leave, NSW Health states that 'another GP or registrar in the same general practice may take over prescribing psychostimulant medicines for your patients while you are on leave'. NSW Health publishes a map of practices where a continuation prescriber works, searchable by suburb or postcode, and the same information is available through healthdirect's service finder.

Telehealth

Can this happen by video, and does the practitioner have to be here?

The national standard comes first: the Medical Board of Australia says prescribing without a real-time direct consultation - in person, by video or by telephone - is not good practice and is not supported by the Board, and that expressly covers questionnaire-only requests where the practitioner has never spoken with the person. We could not find any NSW-specific law or NSW Health instrument that bans assessment by telehealth or requires an in-person assessment for stimulant approval. But three NSW conditions bite in practice, and one of them is an explicit face-to-face requirement.

We searched the NSW poisons legislation and NSW Health's ADHD instruments and guidance and found no provision requiring an in-person assessment as a condition of a NSW stimulant approval. That is a negative finding, not a positive rule: we are reporting that we could not find such a requirement, not that none exists. What we did find, and can state: 1. Practice accreditation. A GP holding either NSW general authority must practise within an accredited general practice, or one that has commenced accreditation. NSW Health's clinician FAQ lists as ineligible for accreditation 'telehealth-only services (including on-demand telehealth services), where continuous care may be provided but scope of care provided is limited, i.e. physical assessment is not possible'. A telehealth-only GP service therefore generally cannot hold these authorities. 2. An explicit face-to-face condition. Where a GP qualifies through the specialty-area limb of the therapeutic-relationship test - the limb an ADHD-focused practice would typically rely on - the criteria require that the prescriber 'has had an initial face-to-face consultation with the patient' and 'has a face-to-face review with the patient every 12 months at a minimum'. A wholly remote model does not satisfy that limb. The other three limbs carry no express face-to-face condition in the criteria document. 3. NSW Health's consumer guidance on reviews. The ACI consumer FAQ tells people 'It is important that you also have an in-person review every 6 to 12 months with your GP or non-GP specialist who is prescribing your medicines', and in a separate answer on the same page gives the interval as every 6 months. NSW Health's own page states both intervals; we have not picked one. Separately, a NSW pharmacist dispensing a Schedule 8 prescription must be satisfied it is valid, and NSW Health notes that pharmacists 'are not required to check, or verify, that the approval number on a prescription is valid' - so a problem with an approval number may surface later rather than at the counter. We could not re-fetch the Medical Board guidelines directly in this pass (the site blocks automated retrieval); the quoted position was verified independently by two reviewers against the published guidelines, effective 1 September 2023.

If you move here

What happens to a diagnosis and treatment from another state?

Two things have to be sorted out, and they are separate. First, a NSW pharmacy cannot supply stimulant medicine unless the prescription carries a valid NSW Health approval number, and NSW Health states this applies regardless of the state or territory in which the prescription was issued. Second, and less well known: where your diagnosis came from decides whether a NSW GP can take over your prescriptions. A diagnosis made by a GP in another Australian jurisdiction, or by a doctor overseas, does not count as a previous diagnosis in NSW - you must first see an AHPRA-registered paediatrician, psychiatrist, neurologist or other designated prescriber here.

NSW Health's clinician FAQ answers both transfer scenarios directly. On overseas diagnoses: 'No. If a person is moving to or travelling in NSW and wants to continue psychostimulant medicines, they must first see either an AHPRA-registered paediatrician, psychiatrist, neurologist or other designated prescriber (ODP).' On interstate GP diagnoses: 'No. Being diagnosed by a GP in another jurisdiction where this is enabled does not mean they can continue receiving psychostimulant medicines through a continuation prescriber.' On the prescription itself, NSW Health states: 'A pharmacist cannot dispense these medicines unless the prescription includes a valid NSW Health approval number. This requirement applies regardless of the state or territory in which the prescription is issued.' How it resolves depends on who your prescriber is. If your prescriber is a psychiatrist, paediatrician or neurologist, they can use class authority CA2023 even while practising outside NSW, for a person whose medicine is dispensed by a NSW pharmacy - NSW Health states this expressly. The approval number still has to appear on the prescription. If your prescriber is a GP, their home-state authority has no effect in NSW; you will need a NSW prescriber who holds their own NSW authority, or a practitioner who applies for an individual patient approval for you. A NSW GP continuation prescriber must also satisfy themselves that a valid prior diagnosis exists and that you are stable on treatment, and must meet one of the therapeutic-relationship tests - which takes time to establish when you have just arrived. For GPs at the border, NSW Health accepts applications for the continuation authority from GPs in the ACT and from GPs practising close to the NSW border, but states that 'Applications from Melbourne or Brisbane will not be accepted.' That is a rule about which doctors may hold a NSW authority, not a suggestion about where to look for a prescriber. Practical point of sequencing: sort out who will hold the NSW approval before your current supply runs out, not after. Note also that non-stimulant ADHD medicines require no NSW Health approval to continue.

What we could not confirm

We went looking for these and could not find a primary source. We would rather show you the gap than fill it with something that sounds right. Take these to your prescriber or the department directly.

  • Whether a diagnosis made by an AHPRA-registered psychiatrist, paediatrician or neurologist in ANOTHER Australian state counts as a valid previous diagnosis for a NSW continuation prescriber. NSW Health expressly rejects overseas diagnoses and interstate GP diagnoses and requires the person to see an AHPRA-registered specialist, but does not state in terms that an interstate AHPRA specialist's diagnosis is sufficient. We could not find this answered either way.
  • Whether an ADHD diagnosis made by a psychologist alone satisfies the 'already been diagnosed' precondition for a GP continuation prescriber. NSW Health's consumer page names psychologists among those who currently diagnose ADHD, but the criteria document does not say who the prior diagnosis must come from - only that diagnosis, stabilisation and initiation are generally limited to named medical practitioners. Do not assume either answer before paying for an assessment.
  • Whether the other designated prescriber (ODP) category is limited to children and adolescents. Two independent reviewers reported an age band of 4 to 17 from a NSW Health application form and an ACI summary table, but we could not fetch either document in this pass, and the NSW Health criteria document lists ODPs with no age qualifier. What we can confirm is that ODPs must still obtain individual patient approvals, and that NSW Health is no longer issuing new ODP endorsements.
  • The published conditions for the GP endorsed prescriber (GAEP) authority. NSW Health has published a criteria document for continuation prescribers but we found no equivalent standalone criteria document for endorsed prescribers as at 21 August 2026. Specific claims circulating about that pathway - an '80% competence' recognition-of-prior-learning threshold, a 'red-flagged competencies' rule, a NSW ADHD Competency Framework, an ADHD Reforms Clinical Evaluation Panel, and a requirement to practise in NSW - could not be confirmed against a source we could reach, and reviewers disagreed about whether they are published. Do not state them.
  • Whether endorsed prescribers will be permitted to switch a person between different medicines, a power expressly denied to continuation prescribers. This appears only in secondary sources.
  • How many GP endorsed prescribers, if any, hold a GAEP authority as at 21 August 2026. NSW Health publishes the approval-number format and describes the role, but no count was found, and the first training cohort is not due to finish before September 2026.
  • Any processing time for an individual patient approval. NSW Health says SafeScript NSW allows real-time approval in many cases but publishes no timeframe for applications requiring manual review. The '7 business days' figure that circulated in research belongs to the GP general-authority application form, not to individual patient approvals, and must not be published as an individual-approval timeframe.
  • The exact number of characters in the GACP and GAEP approval number formats. Two current NSW Health pages give different lengths, so we name the prefixes only.
  • How existing authorities - the class authority, GACP and GAEP general authorities, and individual patient approvals - will be treated when the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2022 (NSW) and Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2026 (NSW) commence on 5 November 2026. NSW Health confirms the commencement date and what the new laws replace but publishes no transition arrangements for ADHD approvals on that page.
  • The section-level provisions of the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 1966 (NSW) and Regulation 2008 (NSW) that underpin these approvals. legislation.nsw.gov.au blocks automated retrieval; we confirmed the Act's proposed-repeal status note directly but could not re-verify the individual section and clause pinpoints in this pass, so the page states the Act-level rule as NSW Health states it rather than citing section numbers.
  • Whether NSW public or community mental health services provide adult ADHD assessment anywhere in the state. No NSW Health statement was found confirming or ruling out a public adult pathway.
  • Any NSW-specific published wait time or cost for adult ADHD assessment. None was found. The '12 to 18 months in NSW' figure that appears widely could not be traced to any official or published source and appears only on commercial clinic and directory sites - do not publish it. The best available published evidence is national rather than NSW-specific, predates these reforms, and is not a substitute for a NSW figure.
  • What a person should do when their prescriber retires, moves interstate or leaves practice. NSW Health publishes guidance for a prescriber taking leave, but no guidance written for this situation.
  • The Medical Board of Australia telehealth guidelines could not be re-fetched in this pass (the site blocks automated retrieval). The quoted position was verified independently by two reviewers against the published guidelines; the date shown is the guidelines' effective date, not a review date.

What changed recently

  1. 2023-11-13

    A NSW Health class authority (reference CA2023) took effect, automatically authorising psychiatrists, paediatricians and neurologists to prescribe or supply stimulant medicines for ADHD in a person who is not drug dependent, within published dose ceilings, replacing the individual authorities previously issued to those specialists.

    NSW Health — Prescribe a psychostimulant medicine

  2. 2025-09-01

    IN FORCE. Stage 1 of the NSW ADHD reforms: the general authority for GP continuation prescribers was enabled, allowing trained and approved GPs to write ongoing stimulant prescriptions for people aged 6 and over who are already diagnosed and stable, without an individual patient approval for each person.

    NSW Ministry of Health — Criteria for the management of medicines for ADHD by continuation prescribers

  3. 2026-02-10

    An updated version of the NSW Health criteria document for continuation prescribers was published, setting out the training, registration, accredited-practice, therapeutic-relationship, dose-ceiling, medicine-switching, SafeScript and exclusion rules that currently apply.

    NSW Ministry of Health — Criteria for the management of medicines for ADHD by continuation prescribers

  4. 2026-02-11

    ANNOUNCED. The NSW Government announced Stage 2, stating that training for GPs to diagnose ADHD and initiate treatment would begin from March 2026. The release reported nearly 600 GPs had expressed interest and more than 800 were already trained as continuation prescribers. March 2026 was when training started, not when GPs became able to diagnose.

    NSW Government — Reforms to enable GPs to diagnose ADHD from March

  5. 2026-03

    IN PROGRESS. The first round of GP endorsed prescriber training commenced in mid-March 2026, with just over 300 places against more than 700 expressions of interest. NSW Health states the training takes about 6 months and is expected to be completed from September to October 2026. A second round is expected to commence in November 2026. As at 21 August 2026 this route is not yet available to a person seeking an assessment.

    NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation — ADHD care in general practice - frequently asked questions for clinicians

  6. 2026-05-05

    NSW Health dispensing guidance was updated to list GAEP approval numbers issued to GP endorsed prescribers alongside the continuation prescriber, class authority and individual approval formats, confirming the category is operational within the dispensing framework even though the first prescribers had not yet completed training.

    NSW Health — Dispensing psychostimulants

  7. 2026-05-06

    NSW Health confirmed it will no longer issue other designated prescriber (ODP) endorsements, the endorsed prescriber pathway replacing that route. Existing ODP status is unchanged, and ODPs must still obtain individual patient approvals.

    NSW Health — Prescribe a psychostimulant medicine

  8. 2026-06-29

    ANNOUNCED, STARTS EARLY 2027. The NSW Government announced a $1.5 million investment, within a broader $11.7 million package, under which up to 2,500 people will be able to access free GP ADHD consultations delivered by GP endorsed prescribers in selected clinics, expected to be available from early 2027, with no gap payment. The release stated more than 1,400 GPs have signed up as continuation prescribers.

    NSW Government — GPs to provide up to 2,500 free ADHD consultations

  9. 2026-11-05

    UPCOMING. The Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2022 (NSW) and the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2026 (NSW) commence on 5 November 2026, replacing the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 1966 and Regulation 2008 - the legislation on which every approval described on this page currently rests. The NSW legislation register carries a status note that the 1966 Act 'is to be repealed on the commencement of the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2022 No 22, sec 151 (not commenced - to commence on 5.11.2026)'. Transition arrangements for ADHD approvals were not published.

    NSW Health — Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods legislation update

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