ADHD CLINIC
ADHD Assessment & Treatment
Perth's northern suburbs
Structured ADHD assessment, diagnosis and medication management
— delivered by Dr Robert Allen under the Western Australian GP ADHD prescribing pathway.
ADHD has become the part of my week I most look forward to. It is one of the few things in medicine where getting the answer right genuinely changes the shape of someone's life — and general practice is the right place to do it, because we already know the family, the history, and the long run of things not quite adding up. Being able to offer this properly, close to home, is why I trained for it.
This is a Private Service. It is not Bulk Billed.
No diagnosis yet
If you don't have a diagnosis yet
Ages 10 to 15
Ask your GP to refer to Paeds Plus, Currambine — not to me directly.
Children and adolescents in this age group are seen under the Paeds Plus umbrella, with paediatric support alongside. That's my choice rather than a rule: for a young person starting a stimulant, having paediatricians in the same building is worth more than convenience.
Paeds Plus triage every referral and decide which children are suited to a GP-led pathway within their service and which need a paediatrician. If they allocate your child to me, I do the assessment and ongoing care. Your GP can note a preference for me; it isn't necessary, and it won't change the triage.
Ages 16 and over
You need a referral from your GP, sent to Dr Rob Allen, ADHD Clinic, St John Joondalup. There is no self-referral route.
Please go throuh the things the GP ADHD Clinicc cannot see with your GP to make sure it is suitable for your healthcare needs.
If you're already my patient, I'll write the referral myself — just raise it at a normal appointment.
I do not accept referrals that have been addressed to psychiatry - to me this signals that your GP wanted you to see a Psychiatrist, not the GP lead service.
Please don't book anything until you hear back; assessment appointments can't be booked online or by phone.
Already diagnosed
If you already have a diagnosis
If you already have a diagnosis, there are two arrangements. Shared care is the usual one and suits most people — your specialist stays in charge and your relationship with them carries on as it is. Transfer of care is the exception, for when your specialist is no longer in the picture.
Shared care with your specialist (co-prescribing)
They stay in charge, and I handle prescriptions and reviews locally between your appointments with them.
If you are a regular patient of the surgery this can be managed in a standard appointment. If you are a new patient then a double appointment is needed. What I need is confirmation of your diagnosis, your current medication and dose, the monitoring plan, and that they're happy with the arrangement.
Your specialist remains the prescriber of record. I can't change your medication or its formulation — that always goes back to them. Dose is different: if your specialist sets out in writing the range I can work within, I can adjust inside it. If they don't, I prescribe the dose they've set, and any change means seeing them. Under the current WA regulations, adults need to see their specialist at least every three years, and under-18s annually. Between those reviews, this arrangement means the day-to-day sits closer to home.
Transferring to me (transfer of care)
I become the prescriber, once they've agreed to hand over.
To be clear about where I stand: if your specialist is still seeing you and would rather keep prescribing, that's the answer, and shared care above is the arrangement. I won't take over prescribing from a specialist who is still involved in your care.
Where a handover is appropriate, book a standard appointment so we can talk it through — the transfer itself doesn't happen at that appointment. I need your specialist's written agreement, a handover covering the original assessment and current plan, and their consent to remain available for advice if the picture changes. That last condition isn't a formality — it's the basis on which I take a transfer on at all, and without it I won't.
Occasionally there is no specialist left to ask — for example they've retired, moved away, closed their practice. If that's your situation and you are 16 or over, the way forward isn't a transfer at all: we start again, through the same assessment pathway as anyone coming without a diagnosis.
For referring GPs
Ages 10 to 15
A GP referral to Paeds Plus, Currambine. They triage and allocate. Click Here for the Paeds Plus website.
Adults 16 and over
A GP referral to Dr Rob Allen, ADHD Clinic, St John Joondalup
My Details:
Dr Robert Allen
ADHD Clinic, St John Joondalup
21 Joondalup Drive, Edgewater WA 6027.
Phone: (08) 9400 7000
Email: Joondalup.Reception@stjohnwa.com.au
Referrals acknowledged within 28 business days.
Please include in your referral letter
Presenting concerns and duration
Evidence of symptoms before age 12 where available
Functional impairment with examples
Mental health and substance use history, including alcohol and THC
Current medications
Cardiovascular history (if any) and family history of sudden cardiac death or inherited arrhythmia
Any previous assessment
A screening ASRS form would be really helpful
Useful Resources
GP Psychiatry Support Line — 1800 161 718
For specialists
Co-prescribing.
I am very happy to co-prescribe for your patients, to take some workload off the busy clinics. I hope that knowing I have completed extra training gives you confidence in my ability to manage your patient’s between review.
What I ask you to confirm: the diagnosis, current medication, dose and formulation, the monitoring plan and review interval, and your agreement to the arrangement. That last is my own practice rather than a regulatory requirement — I'd rather we were both clear the arrangement exists, and I can clearly differentiate co-prescribing from requests to transfer care.
Dose-change parameters. If you're willing to specify a range in writing, I am happy to titrate within it. If not, I will stick to what you specify.
Transfer of care.
Requires your agreement, a written handover covering the diagnostic assessment and current treatment plan, and your consent to remain available for advice if the picture changes. That last point is the condition on which I accept transfers at all.
My Details:
Dr Robert Allen
ADHD Clinic, St John Joondalup
21 Joondalup Drive, Edgewater WA 6027.
Phone: (08) 9400 7000
Email: Joondalup.Reception@stjohnwa.com.au
Referrals acknowledged within 28 business days.