As Clinical Lead of MindClinix and a highly regarded practitioner with Psychiatry-UK, Dr Adil Jawad brings more than two decades of experience to his role.

Dr Jawad hails from India, where he completed his basic medical training. Under the system in India, depending on their results medical students are recommended which specialist routes to follow. For Dr Jawad this was anaesthesia, pathology or psychiatry.

“At the time, the situation in India was such that people didn’t go to psychiatrists. People still believed patients were possessed by spirits – and that included my mother.

“I could have been a pathologist, but there were thousands of pathology labs, so instead I spoke to a couple of psychiatrists to find out more and became intrigued. I felt by choosing psychiatry I could really make a mark. Unfortunately, my mother didn’t speak to me then for a month! She came around eventually.”

On qualifying, Dr Jawad began working with the professor who had taught him, then continued to work in private practice in India for three years, during which time he wrote published articles on depression and alcoholism, to try to change attitudes to mental health.

His professor mooted the idea of Dr Jawad moving to the UK to practise, because the Royal College of Psychiatry had created an opportunity for clinicians to join from overseas.

“I wasn’t really interested because, although I was 34, I had never ventured out of India. In fact, I hadn’t travelled much beyond the city I lived in, so this was a big step.”

Dr Jawad was persuaded, and decided to try working in the UK. He went first alone, and was joined later by his wife and children.

“I ended up in the UK on 29 January 2002 and joined the prestigious GKT (Guy‘s Hospital, King’s College Hospital, St Thomas’ Hospital) training scheme. I arrived in the coldest months, from a warm southern Indian city, and it was a real cultural shock – I didn’t unpack my suitcase for two months!”

Dr Jawad had to retrain, because despite his qualifications and experience he had to start as an SHO (Senior House Officer). Just two-and-a-half years into his four-year training course he had completed his exams and been admitted as a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Road to specialising in mood and anxiety disorders

Dr Jawad, already based with the Sussex Partnership Trust, embarked on the next stage of his career, as a GMC registered psychiatric consultant.

In all, he was with the Trust for 17 years and devoted his time there to his patients, their families, and taking steps to improve the service offered to them. 

Sussex Partnership Trust had formed groups of psychiatrists leading on areas such as mood disorders, psychosis, perinatal psychiatry and eating disorders.

“I decided to take mood disorders and anxiety disorders because they are more common than people think and are harder to treat than, for example, psychosis. One in four people could be depressed at least once in their lifetime, so I wanted to look into this more closely.”

Dr Jawad is supremely hard-working. During his time with the NHS in Sussex he was Chair of the Acute Inpatient Forum, which enabled him to drive the direction of the psychiatric team. He was also Clinical Lead for Langley Green Hospital, senior appraiser for the Trust and he led the Acute Clinical Strategy programme. He was given a ‘Special Commendation Award’ by Sussex Partnership Trust for his services.

At one stage Dr Jawad had around 14 different responsibilities, as well as, of course, seeing patients. He was also involved in a multi-disciplinary team, looking at individual patients who were regularly seeking help from different areas of the NHS.

“We helped one woman who had made 49 separate trips to A&E in a period of 12 months. We set up a forum with several organisations, including social services and the police, to discuss what we could do. We realised she had never been assessed by the psychiatric service. She was then diagnosed with depression, and we were able to manage her condition.”

Amazingly, Dr Jawad felt he could do more, so in 2016 joined the team here at Psychiatry-UK, which led him to set up MindClinix.

In 2018, Dr Jawad took a trip to Australia and, finding there is a shortage of psychiatrists, he decided to relocate. He is currently based there as Clinical Director in a group of private hospitals. However, he has plans to return to the UK, where his children, who are his inspiration, are studying.

Commendations for psychiatric work

Dr Jawad has received many commendations for the work he has done:

“Dr Adil has shown considerable leadership to both medical and non-medical colleagues in maintaining high quality care that uses available resources in a busy medical setting,” Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District.

“I saw Dr Adil and was reassured with how clearly he explained everything and how he listened and had such a friendly manner. His level of understanding rather than just prescribing drugs was impressive. He acknowledged what I said and took the time to understand my perspectives. He also personally ensured that I was settled with medication prior to discharge. What was particularly impressive was that he took the time to reassure my mother and this made her feel relieved that I was being fully supported,” patient at Sussex Partnership Trust.

“Dr Adil’s ongoing advice and input has been most valuable to us given his impressive psychiatric knowledge, his notable care for his patients and his open mindedness for new and innovative solutions with a goal to improve his ability to offer better care,” Predictix.

“I have had the pleasure of working alongside Dr Adil in our role providing services to clients and have observed him to be caring, inclusive and encouraging of both clients and their families,” social worker.

Plethora of achievements

Dr Jawad has devoted himself to psychiatry, supporting patients and their families, and also taking time for charitable work. He holds the prestigious Fellowship of Royal Society of Psychiatrists.

In the UK, his achievements include:

● Evaluator and Committee member of CESR (Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration), Royal College of Psychiatrists

● Deputy Regional Advisor Kent Surrey Sussex, Royal College of Psychiatrists, where his acute care clinical strategy was developed in partnership with patients, carers, staff, commissioners and other key stakeholders.

● Chair of the Trust-wide Acute Inpatient Forum

● Clinical Lead, Acute Services, North West Sussex

● Team Around People (TAP) Pilot, pioneering an outreach service for high-risk low volume complex patients

● Contributing in setting up the Street Triage Service in North West Sussex, where mental health clinicians worked with the police to attend to emergencies.

● Piloted the SECAmb (South East Coast Ambulance service) project in North West Sussex, where mental health clinicians worked with the ambulance services to provide emergency care

● Core member of the Clinical Academic Group for Mood and Anxiety Disorders.

● Windrush award nomination from the CEO of Sussex Partnership, for his work in the Trust

In Australia, Dr Jawad’s work includes:

● Clinical lecturer for University of Sydney

● Medical member of the complex care review panel at Nepean Hospital

● Author of a rapid response protocol for use in the acute general adult inpatient units at Nepean Mental Health Centre

● Running masterclasses for all inpatient registrars at Nepean Mental Health Centre

Internationally:

● In Pakistan, supporting work around post traumatic mental health services for those affected during the earthquake in Pakistan in 2005, survivors of the floods in Pakistan in 2011 and the terrorist attack in a school in 2014 in Northern Pakistan where 143 children were murdered and injured.

● In India, writing articles on mental health problems, published in two different leading regional newspapers in native language (URDU), to raise awareness.

● Working with DARE (Doctors Association for Relief and Education), Hyderabad City Chapter, India, which made awards to him in recognition.

At Psychiatry-UK we are proud to have Dr Jawad as Clinical Lead for MindClinix, promoting and running the service we offer for those who are suffering from depression.

If you would like to find out more about how we can help, please get in touch.

Written by Jo Smyth, Word Worker