About Alison

Dr Alison Battersby has worked in the NHS for over 20 years having qualified in medicine from Cambridge University. Following completion of a prestigious MRC Training Fellowship in research, she returned to her first love, working with patients. She completed her psychiatric training on the Cambridge Psychiatric Rotation before moving as a consultant general adult psychiatrist to the southwest with her husband, Andrew. After becoming a consultant, Alison has consulted on several expert groups advising nationally on treatment guidance. She has also been an elected member of her faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and their Academic Secretary. Alison regularly speaks at both national and international conferences and training events.

She is a key member of several national recovery groups and has a particular passion for this style of working. This is a method of working alongside an individual to understand their difficulties in the context of their values and beliefs. It values the lived-experience of those who have experienced mental health problems and acknowledges that the way forward for them may not be medication-based. Hope is central to this style of working as is building a meaningful and satisfying life. Alison has a further accreditation in working with addiction problems including using the most innovative international approaches. Alison has a keen interest in the Arts which influences her style of working.