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.
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.
If you're already my patient, I'll write the referral myself — just raise it at a normal appointment.
Please don't book anything until you hear back; assessment appointments can't be booked online or by phone.
What the assessment involves
Usually two appointments.
A series of online questionnaires and a downloaded a downloaded pdf for collateral history before your first appointment. Then a structured interview covering all eighteen diagnostic criteria, with examples from real life rather than a score. Developmental history, including evidence of symptoms before age 12 — school reports are often the key in adults. Functional impairment across school or work, relationships, self-esteem and daily life. Collateral history from someone who has known the person a long time. A physical baseline. And a urine drug screen and ECG before any stimulant is started.
It isn't a guarantee of a diagnosis. Around one in four children meet ADHD symptom criteria at some point; around one in twenty actually has ADHD. The gap between those numbers is functional impairment, and finding it takes history and time rather than a questionnaire. If ADHD isn't the right explanation, you'll be told so clearly and pointed somewhere useful.
Already diagnosed
If you already have a diagnosis
The question is whether you want to keep your specialist.
Keeping 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. I'll ask about this when I write. 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 your prescriber and your specialist steps back.
These need more care, and it is best to book a standard appointment for us to discuss this. The transfer of care doesn’t happen at the 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 accept transfers at all, and without it I won't take one on. If for some reason your specialist isn’t able to accommodate this, and you are 16 or over, we can treat this as a new assessment.
Who this service can't see
ADHD prescribing by GPs in WA sits inside a tight framework. The limits below are set by the Department of Health and the RACGP.
Not able to be seen here:
Children under 10
Psychosis of any kind, including stimulant-induced
Bipolar disorder (either type)
Substance use disorder, including alcohol
A record of dependence, or of oversupply of a controlled medicine
Current participation in the opioid pharmacotherapy program
Significant intellectual disability
Autism spectrum disorder, Level 3
Active suicidal thoughts, self-harm, or other high-risk presentations
Atypical or concerning responses to previous ADHD medication
A stimulant dose above the WA routine maximum
Anyone requiring comprehensive neuropsychological assessment
Anyone living outside Western Australia
These are not refusals of care. They are presentations that need a psychiatrist or paediatrician, and your GP can refer you to one.
One limit that only appears at the point of prescribing. ScriptCheckWA, the state prescription monitoring database, carries an authorisation flag on some patients' profiles. Where that flag is present, a designated GP cannot prescribe at all.
Two decisions of this clinic's own
Current THC use, prescribed as medicinal cannabis or otherwise. THC can mask some ADHD symptoms while independently driving anxiety and motivation problems, which makes judging whether medication is working unreliable.
Ages 10 to 15 are seen only through Paeds Plus, with paediatrician support alongside.
This service is also not a crisis service, a second-opinion service, a medico-legal or third-party report service, a psychology or therapy service, or a route to stimulants for another indication.
If you are having thoughts of suicide or self-harm right now, please don't wait for a referral. Contact your GP today, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24 hours), or the Mental Health Emergency Response Line on 1300 555 788 (Perth metropolitan, 24 hours). In an emergency, call 000 or go to your nearest emergency department.
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
Full Address:
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.