Rethink Mental Illness welcomes new NHS England Medical Director for Mental Health and Neurodiversity

NHS England has today announced that Dr Adrian James has been appointed to a new role as Medical Director for Mental Health and Neurodiversity.

Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive of Rethink Mental Illness, said:

“We welcome the appointment by NHS England of its first ever medical director for mental health and neurodiversity, which signals its commitment to improving outcomes for people living with a mental health condition at a time of immense challenge for services. We’re also pleased to see neurodiversity being prioritised, because we know from our work that neurodiverse people can experience mental health challenges when accessing systems not designed with them in mind. Dr Adrian James brings a wealth of experience to the role, most recently from his presidency of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, during which he spearheaded important work on funding, workforce, parity of esteem, and improving outcomes for groups such as Black, Asian and minority ethnic people. We look forward to working with Dr James and his team to improve treatment and care for people severely affected by mental illness.”