Chris is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Director with more than 20 years’ experience in specialist mental healthcare. As Founder and Medical Director of Lilac Tree Clinic, and Medical Director of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, he combines extensive clinical leadership experience with a strong commitment to delivering safe, evidence-based and patient-centred care.

Throughout his career, Chris has combined frontline clinical practice with senior medical leadership, leading the development of high-quality mental health services across the NHS and independent sector. He has extensive expertise in clinical governance, patient safety, quality improvement and service transformation, ensuring that every service delivered through Lilac Tree Clinic is underpinned by robust clinical standards, evidence-based practice and a culture of continuous improvement.

Alongside his executive leadership roles, Chris undertakes independent medico-legal work as an expert witness, preparing psychiatric reports for the courts and legal profession. His experience in both clinical practice and complex clinical governance enables him to bring a rigorous focus on safety, quality and clinical excellence to every aspect of the clinic’s work.

Chris does not provide direct patient therapy within Lilac Tree Clinic. Instead, he provides strategic clinical leadership for the organisation, overseeing clinical governance, patient safety, pathway development and multidisciplinary working. He works closely with the clinical team to ensure that every service is delivered within a robust governance framework and to the highest standards of safety, quality and evidence-based care.

Chris co-founded Lilac Tree Clinic with the shared vision of creating an accessible specialist service for people affected by eating disorders and related conditions. Recognising the growing demand for expert, evidence-based care, he has led the development of a phased multidisciplinary model that enables patients to access specialist psychological support today while building towards a comprehensive multidisciplinary service capable of supporting individuals with more complex needs as the clinic continues to grow.

He believes that outstanding mental healthcare is built on compassionate clinical practice, strong multidisciplinary collaboration and uncompromising clinical governance. These principles underpin every aspect of Lilac Tree Clinic’s approach, ensuring that patients receive care that is not only clinically effective but also safe, personalised and delivered with dignity and respect.