Dr Mano Hashmi
Co-Founder

I’m Mano, one of the co-founders of Medstars. I’m also a practicing NHS consultant psychiatrist. We set up Medstars because we saw first-hand how complicated it was for patients to access really good private healthcare in the UK. Too often people who choose to seek private health struggle to get impartial information on quality and prices, and are overwhelmed by long Google search results and glossy clinic marketing. We wanted to use the inside knowledge doctors have to help others navigate the system effectively, ensuring they can make informed choices about which specialists to choose.

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I studied medicine in Cardiff University, before training in psychiatry in London. Along the way I did a Masters in Medical Anthropology at University College London, gaining a distinction for my research into marginalised communities and counter-terrorism legislation. I further developed my interests with studies in systemic family therapy and fine art, before moving to Birmingham as a consultant in liaison psychiatry. Here I specialised in the interface between physical and mental health, and psychiatric emergencies in a large university general hospital setting.

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One of my most important roles now is to advocate for patients with severe mental illness, offer education to my nursing and medical colleagues, and reduce the stigma associated with mental health conditions amongst non-psychiatric health professionals. Over the years I have also been involved in the development of innovative health services, trained many young doctors to specialise in psychiatry, and led on the education and curriculum development for undergraduate medical students at a local university. More generally, I have sat for many years on specialist committees within the Royal College of Psychiatrists and NHS England, to try and improve psychiatric services in my region.

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As an NHS consultant, I see daily how stretched resources mean that often patients don’t seek help until their symptoms have become severe or unmanageable. Often the resulting treatment is then far more intensive due to problems presenting late, and the outcomes are not as good as they could have been, had the illness been caught earlier. Across the healthcare system, for both physical and mental health, I believe that early screening, detection and interventions for problems is the best way of addressing the health challenges that our society is facing. Empowering people to identify illness early on and take steps to stay healthy and prevent disease is the best way to help all of us take control of our health and stay well.