Message from Dr. Michele Toner OAM, Board Chair of ADHD WA:
I wanted to provide a short update of the recent advocacy work your Board is undertaking on behalf of the ADHD Community:
- Members of the Board met with Hon Simon Millman, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health; Mental Health. This meeting was made possible because of the letters our members sent to the Minister for Health expressing concern about the shortage of doctors to treat ADHD.
- As a result of our meeting with Hon Millman we met with the Chief Pharmacist, who is in the process of reviewing: Amendments to Schedule 8 Medicines Prescribing Code (Stimulant medications used to treat ADHD are schedule 8 medications). After consulting with the Professional Advisory Body, Dr Roger Paterson made a submission on behalf of ADHD WA, requesting increased permission for GPs to prescribe and co-prescribe stimulant medications, including the annual psychiatrist review extended to be a three-yearly review.
- Joined by our CEO, we also met with the office of the Mental Health Commission, where we requested that public health services such as CAMHS include ADHD for treatment. We also highlighted the need for the public health sector to treat adults with ADHD. We will continue our dialogue with this office.
- Finally, we met with Hon Donna Farragher, Shadow Minister for Community Services and our members supported a parliamentary petition which assisted in the establishment of a Select Committee into Child Development Services. ADHD WA will be making a submission to this committee on behalf of our members, and encourage you all to make your own submissions here.
