Dr. Neel Halder has had a remarkable and diverse career in psychiatry, spanning both the NHS and private sectors. From an early inspiration sparked by a meeting with Mother Teresa to a career dedicated to mental health, learning disabilities, and medical education, Neel’s journey has been one of dedication and meaningful influence.
Before joining Elysium, Neel gained extensive experience across various specialties, held influential editorial and academic positions, and played a key role in training and mentoring the next generation of psychiatrists. In this conversation, Neel shares insights into his career path, what led him to Elysium, and why he is passionate about his work.
Tell me a bit about yourself and your career background before Elysium.
So I qualified from Manchester University in 1988 and then stayed in the North West to do my training. I then became a Staff Grade for 4 years after my Senior House Officer years (equivalent of Speciality Training years), and that was really good experience for me as I can now understand and connect with Staff Grades here at Elysium. I wanted that experience under my belt before becoming a consultant as I would have been a consultant quite young and I thought actually that having the Staff Grade experience first is worth its weight in gold.
And then I finished off my training and interestingly enough I worked briefly at Saint Mary’s as a Specialty Doctor before it was part of Elysium. This was good experience for working in the private sector. Since I have been a qualified consultant I have worked both in the private sector and the NHS. So it’s been really great to have varied training where I’ve worked in all sorts of settings including forensic, learning disability and in the community.
In the early stages of my career I landed a job with the Royal College of Psychiatry where I became a trainee editor for one of the most widely read medical journals in psychiatry in the UK, the BJPsych Bulletin. It was a really big deal and very eye opening; the things I learnt were incredible, things they just don’t teach you like the inner workings of how things get published and researched. Because it was in the headquarters in the Royal College, I ended up rubbing shoulders with some really world-renowned psychiatrists, which has been really, really helpful. I learned from them and that helped me with the other part of my career, which was essentially trying to give back what I learned.
I started lecturing on research and how to get things published. Then based on the sheer volume of feedback I was getting from people I was lecturing, they begged me to write a book on this because there was little out there on this subject and I think it was resonating with a lot of the young trainees who really wanted to get a foothold into medical publications. So I wrote a book on how people can get medical publications
I’m still on the editorial board of the Royal College journal so that’s something I do in parallel to my job and I’m on the editorial board of the Journal of Forensic Practice. And then I became a university lecturer as well. So I did that for a few years and my work in the Royal College expanded into being a learning disability rep. I also looked at recruitment in psychiatry and I wrote book chapters on that subject. It’s a big area of passion for me.
So all of that came before Elysium and then I was working in the NHS as a consultant when Quazi (Group Medical Director) approached me and expressed that he’d like me to come and work as a Medical Director in Saint Mary’s. And that’s partly because Saint Mary’s had some learning disability patients and it had some deaf patients as well and I had experience in both those fields.
What made you interested in psychiatry?
This does have an interesting story behind it because when I came into medical school, I wasn’t sure what specialty I wanted to do. Back then, I used to go to India quite a lot to see my family as my parents are from Kolkata, and one of my mum’s really good friends actually knew Mother Teresa, so they set up a meeting with me and Mother Teresa.
It is incredible looking back on it. I went to her house and I had tea with Mother Teresa and she asked me what I was doing and I said I’m a medical student. It was really that encounter that set off the rest of my career. I said to her I wasn’t sure what specialty I wanted to go into and it was Mother Teresa that said the best thing you can do is work with people who don’t have a voice, people who are struggling, the ones who are in most need. That really got me thinking about psychiatry and learning disabilities in particular because these contain people who don’t always have much of a voice. I just thought this is going to be my calling to help others. I’ve got Mother Teresa to thank for my career trajectory.
Being a doctor and being able to work for the vulnerable in society, working for those with mental health problems and learning disability, and then later with people with brain injuries is keeping within my values. It’s really humbling and fantastic to be able to do that.
Tell me a bit more about your current role as a Medical Director.
It’s essentially a leadership role where you are in charge of the medical team. So you’ve got the junior doctors then you’ve got the consultants and then the medical director is essentially overseeing the whole group. Within Saint Mary’s, it is quite a large group which is great as you get a lot of opportunities for peer support.
I do believe in the Northwest, we were the first hospital to have Staff Grades and Specialty Doctors. I was quite vocal that I thought this was a model that worked quite well, it’s something I was used to working in previously and I’m really pleased it works so well.
Have you completed any learning development and training since you’ve been at Elysium?
Yes, absolutely loads and I think that’s one of the key things that drew me to Elysium because I’ve worked for many different providers both in the NHS and the private setting and I have to say nowhere has provided the learning and developmental provision that Elysium has. It’s really quite impressive. We have the online platform, MEL (My Elysium Learning), which has lots of courses on there.
In addition, I had paid support to access the Royal College CPD online modules and that was really appreciated. They have a whole host of modules that medics can access and Elysium was very kind enough to allow me to access the modules.
On top of that because I was working with people with brain injuries, they very kindly supported me to do a Master’s in Neuropsychiatry with the University of Birmingham and they provided funding and time for that. I’m incredibly grateful.
I know other medics who have also wanted to do PhDs or Masters are supported for that and again you know I think that really makes Elysium stand out from other providers.
In addition, because of my leadership role, I recognised that I wanted to really develop my skills with some training as well. Elysium partnered up with Dove Nest and I did a leadership apprenticeship course with them, which was absolutely fantastic.
I’ve always been supported with study leave that meets my CPD objectives. Elysium have been really supportive. You have the annual medical conference which provides for the CPD opportunities. We have an active regional CPD programme. So every Friday the medics get together and learn from each other and there’s also formal lectures within that.
I myself set up a national CPD programme which I’m really proud of and that has been really well received as well.
Why else did you want to work for Elysium?
I was really excited about the fact that it feels like a really small family which I have always liked and despite expanding it still feels like it. It’s retained this really intimate close knit feeling. I really like that because it means I can very easily contact my seniors including the Group Medical Director, whereas in say the NHS I’ve experienced many barriers.
Elysium feels really dynamic and versatile. It is very easy to get to talk to the people you needed to talk to. There isn’t these barriers in places that I’ve seen in the past in other places.
The actual medical community within Elysium is lovely. It’s so supportive, and everyone has each other’s back. I really like that and I’ve always liked that kind of feeling. These are things you can’t quantify. You can’t easily measure. But I believe it’s these things that really make a big difference. And one of my Masters was actually on job satisfaction within healthcare. So I am really passionate in looking at what makes for a good job.
I feel valued as a person, I feel heard. Whenever I raise ideas, I feel they are taken seriously.
What is your favourite thing about working for Elysium?
It’s hard to pick just one. Feeling valued is a big one. I know from my work in job satisfaction that is the key thing that comes out at number 1. I certainly feel valued here.
As I said to you before, I love learning and I feel that the provision of learning experience is second to none.
I love the flexibility as well, you know. The support I get from not just my team, but from the hospital, from the medical community. We have each other’s back and I think that’s really, really important.
Would you recommend Elysium as a place to work and why?
100%, yes, in addition to everything I have already said, another thing is the ability to climb the ladder. There’s provision as a medic to continue on a pathway to more senior and more responsible roles.
We can support roles such as junior doctors and specialty doctors to getting the membership exams so they can become a consultant. Or if they want to go through what we call the CESR route. This is another route where you have to build up a portfolio and if you’ve got enough evidence that you can become a consultant without taking some exams. So within Elysium we can support both routes.
As a junior doctor, we can support you becoming a consultant, and I personally I’ve supported some junior doctors and have done exam practices. I’ve gone through scenarios where we’ve practiced how to pass the exams and I’m really pleased they’ve gone on to do so. You can then become a consultant but it doesn’t stop there; you can then learn and grow and become a Lead Consultant and a Medical Director.
Then you’ve got Regional Medical Directors and then Group Medical Director, so there’s opportunities to climb the ladder and I think that’s really important.
One thing I haven’t mentioned which is important, is as medics, you get autonomy to do the work you need to do in the way you feel is best and I certainly haven’t had that in other places I have worked.
Within Elysium, there’s a level of trust there. You can do what you feel is best for your service. And I really like that, you feel you’ve got the backing.
You feel respected and the respect goes both ways, you respect your seniors, they respect you, you feel heard.
If you are considering a new opportunity, Elysium offers more than just a workplace—it provides a supportive, versatile and enriching environment where you can grow, learn, and truly make a difference. Whether you’re starting out, looking to develop your expertise, or aspiring to take on leadership roles, Elysium offers a culture of respect, professional development, and collaboration.
If you value a career where you feel heard, supported, and empowered to shape the future of mental health care, Elysium could be the perfect place for you. With opportunities to progress, access to exceptional learning resources, and a team that genuinely has each other’s back, it’s a company where your passion and dedication will be valued.
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