ADHD prescribing rules in Australian Capital Territory

Standing Chief Health Officer Approvals replaced per patient approvals for trained GPs continuing treatment and for specialists prescribing within dose limits. A second stage will let trained GPs diagnose.

The ACT restructured the mechanism rather than the prescriber list. Instead of approving each patient, the Chief Health Officer issues standing approvals that a qualifying prescriber works under, provided the patient meets the conditions written into the approval.

Who grants approval: ACT Health, Chief Health Officer
Governing law: Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2008
Prescription monitoring: Canberra Script

The rules at a glance

ADHD stimulant prescribing in Australian Capital Territory, as published by ACT Health, Chief Health Officer
Rule	Position	Detail
Specialists who can start	Yes Psychiatrists, paediatricians, neurologists	All psychiatrists, paediatricians and neurologists can prescribe ADHD medicines for patients aged 4 years and over, within specified dose limits, without applying for a CHO approval for each patient.
Can a GP start it	Changing Stage 2, later in 2026	GPs who have undertaken further training will be authorised to diagnose ADHD and initiate medication in non-complex patients over 6 years of age who are not drug dependent. Those GPs will still apply for CHO approval for individual patients.
Can a GP continue it	With training Trained GPs, no specialist review	GPs who complete specified additional training and notify the Chief Health Officer can continue prescribing without a CHO approval for each patient and without ongoing specialist review.
Government approval	With approval Standing approval, or per patient	The Standing CHO Approval commenced on 11 February 2026. The existing per patient approval process remains for GPs who choose not to train, and for patients who fall outside the standing approval's eligibility criteria.
Nurse practitioners	With approval Designated prescriber approval	A separate Standing CHO Approval covers designated prescribers, alongside the one written for general practitioners.
Age rules	Yes GP continuation from age 6, specialists from 4	The GP standing approval is limited to patients aged 6 years and over. The specialist standing approval covers patients aged 4 years and over.

Changed: 11 February 2026. Standing CHO Approvals commenced, removing per patient approval for trained GPs continuing treatment and for specialists prescribing within dose limits.

What a Standing CHO Approval does

The ACT now issues Standing Chief Health Officer Approvals that qualifying prescribers work under, rather than approving each patient individually. Two are in force. One lets GPs who have completed specified additional training, and who have notified the Chief Health Officer, continue prescribing ADHD stimulant medicines without a CHO approval for each patient and without ongoing specialist review by a psychiatrist, paediatrician or neurologist. The other lets all psychiatrists, paediatricians and neurologists prescribe for patients aged 4 years and over within specified dose limits, again without applying patient by patient.

The GP standing approval is conditional. It covers patients who are stable, aged 6 years and over, who have an existing ADHD diagnosis from a relevant specialist, and whose doses sit within the limits written into the approval. GPs prescribing under it must register for Canberra Script and review the patient's information there before prescribing.

What has not changed

The existing CHO approval process stays in place for two groups: GPs who choose not to undertake the further training and prefer to keep prescribing with non-GP specialist support, and patients who fall outside the eligibility criteria in the standing approval, for example a patient who is not yet stable or whose dose sits above the specified limits.

Stage 2

The ACT describes its reform as staged. Under stage 2, GPs who have undertaken further training will be authorised to diagnose ADHD and initiate medication in non-complex patients over 6 years of age who are not drug dependent. Those GPs will still be required to apply for CHO approval for individual patients, so stage 2 widens who can diagnose without removing the per patient step for new starts.

ACT Health states that more information on stage 2 will be available later in 2026, and that it is working closely with NSW Health so that cross border differences are minimised for patients and clinicians. That last point is practical for anyone living in Queanbeyan or working across the border.

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Common questions about prescribing in ACT

Can my Canberra GP keep prescribing my ADHD medication?

Yes, if they have completed the specified additional training and notified the Chief Health Officer, and if you are stable, aged 6 or over, already diagnosed by a relevant specialist, and on a dose within the limits in the standing approval. In that case you do not need ongoing specialist review.

Can a GP diagnose ADHD in the ACT yet?

Not under stage 1. Stage 2 will authorise GPs with further training to diagnose ADHD and initiate medication in non-complex patients over 6 years of age who are not drug dependent, and ACT Health has said more information will be available later in 2026.

What is Canberra Script and do I need to do anything?

It is the ACT's real time prescription monitoring system. The obligation sits with the prescriber, who must register for it and review your information before prescribing. There is nothing a patient needs to do.

Sources

ACT Government: Prescribing stimulants for ADHD Read 8 September 2026.
ACT Government: ADHD care in the ACT Read 8 September 2026. Source states last updated 10 February 2026.
ACT legislation: Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 2008 Read 8 September 2026.

Compare with other jurisdictions

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Looking for assessment cost and wait times rather than prescribing rules? See the Canberra pathway page.

ADHD Pathways Australia is an independent, editorially-run information resource. It is not a clinic and does not diagnose, treat or provide medical advice. Content here is general information only, sourced and cited where a figure is stated, and is not a substitute for a formal assessment by a registered psychologist, psychiatrist or paediatrician. Always seek individual advice from a qualified professional about your own situation.