DevPaed Connect: Strengthening GP Specialist Collaboration

Aim

To improve families access to timely developmental advice by creating a rapid, shared-care pathway for General Practitioners (GPs) to access specialist support

Outcomes

• Rapid GP–paediatrician advice gives families earlier developmental support.
• Ensures children receive the right care in the right setting for their needs.
• Builds GP confidence through shared care, collaboration and practical resources.
• Enhances continuity via integrated communication across care teams.
• Strengthens community-based developmental care.
• Digital-first model that is scalable to other specialties.

Background

Demand for developmental and behavioural assessments has surged across Australia, driven by growing awareness, earlier identification and need for diagnosis verification to access support services.

Families wait months for a specialist appointment, while many GPs report feeling under-resourced and under-confident to manage these cases independently. This gap creates frustration for families, stress for GPs, and pressure on specialist services. Clinicians within the Child Development Service recognised the need for a faster, smarter way to share expertise with GPs – one that could support early intervention while easing the referral backlog.

DevPaed Connect emerged from these challenges. Co-designed with local GPs, allied health professionals, and digital partners, the result is a connected model of care that empowers GPs to act sooner. Families receive guidance within days instead of months, supporting earlier intervention and easing demand for full specialist referrals.

These partnerships ensured the model is clinically robust, digitally secure and aligned with the needs of local GPs and families.

Discussion

The DevPaed Connect pilot began in October 2025 and formal evaluation will continue through 2026. Key lessons learnt:

• Engage early and often: Co-design with GPs, clinicians and digital teams supports smoother implementation.
• Integration matters: Using existing systems avoids duplication, improves governance and supports sustainability.
• Governance and billing are complex: Aligning workflows across eConsult, ABF and MBS requires early collaboration with digital, finance and governance teams.
• Clinician-led project management adds value: Clinical leadership accelerates decision-making and ensures practical, patient-centred solutions.
• Administrative effort is significant: Documentation and approvals require dedicated time.
• Change takes time: Iterative feedback is essential for refinement and future scale-up.

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2022). Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings. ABS. Khano, S., et al. (2022). Strengthening Care for Children (SC4C): protocol for a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial of an integrated general practitioner-paediatrician model of primary care. BMJ Open, 12

Kwon, S., et al. (2024). General practitioners' attitudes and knowledge about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Insights from a survey. Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, 32(1), 18–22. Newcomb, D., et al. (2022). Supporting GPs in the Management of Children and Young People with ADHD Through Project ECHO®: Results from a Self-Efficacy Survey. International Journal of Integrated Care, 22.

Further reading

https://devpaedconnect.health.qld.gov.au/