If you are thinking about seeking help with your mental health — perhaps for the first time, or after a difficult experience elsewhere — it can feel like a big step. Dr Kevin Pankhurst has spent thirty years working alongside people at some of the most challenging moments of their lives, in the NHS and in private practice. His aim, whether you are coming to him with questions about your mood, your attention, your anxiety, or something harder to name, is simply to help you feel heard, understood, and supported in finding a way forward. This page is here to help you get a sense of who he is before you decide to get in touch.

Background and Training

Dr Pankhurst qualified in medicine at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa in 1995, going on to complete his specialist training in psychiatry at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, where he received his MMed (Psychiatry) in 2004. That training was unusually broad, covering general adult psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry (working with people in the criminal justice system), old age psychiatry, neurological conditions, liaison psychiatry (supporting patients with mental health needs in general hospital settings), and psychotherapy. This breadth means that Dr Pankhurst brings a wide clinical perspective to every assessment — he is not a specialist in one narrow area but a fully rounded psychiatrist who understands how physical health, life history, and mental wellbeing are deeply connected.

Early in his career he also worked in anaesthesiology and as a resident medical officer in London, giving him a solid foundation in general medicine that continues to inform the careful, whole-person approach he brings to psychiatric care.

NHS and Clinical Experience

Since moving to the UK, Dr Pankhurst has built an extensive career within the National Health Service, working across some of its most demanding settings. He has worked in crisis and home treatment teams — services that support people through acute mental health emergencies, often as an alternative to hospital admission — as well as acute inpatient psychiatry and community mental health services. He has also worked in forensic psychiatry at HMP Wormwood Scrubs and in community psychiatry across a number of London NHS Trusts.

Since 2008, he has been a Consultant Psychiatrist with Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, working in community mental health recovery services in Surrey. In his current NHS role he holds the statutory responsibilities of Responsible Clinician.

This depth of NHS experience matters for private patients too. It means that Dr Pankhurst has worked with people across the full range of mental health difficulties, in high-pressure settings where clear thinking, sound clinical judgement, and genuine human compassion are essential.

Private Practice

Dr Pankhurst founded Pankhurst Psychiatry in 2016 and has been seeing private patients ever since. He holds clinics in Esher in Surrey, Guildford, and Maidenhead in Berkshire, offering accessible appointments across the South East.

His private practice is built on the same values he brings to his NHS work: thoroughness, honesty, and a genuine commitment to each person's wellbeing.

Areas of Expertise

Dr Pankhurst sees adults with a wide range of mental health concerns. He has particular interest and experience in ADHD in adults — both assessment and ongoing treatment — as well as depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), and difficulties with self-harm or emotional regulation. He also works with people affected by alcohol misuse and addiction, and carries out specialist psychiatric assessments for aviation professionals. Whatever brings you to him, he will take the time to understand your individual circumstances rather than offer a one-size-fits-all response.

Approach to Care

Dr Pankhurst believes that a good psychiatric assessment is, above all, a conversation. He is not interested in reducing people to a diagnosis. His approach is to listen carefully, ask the right questions, and work with you to build a picture of what is happening and why — before discussing options in plain, straightforward language. Treatment plans are always discussed and agreed with the patient, never simply prescribed.

He is an experienced teacher and supervisor of junior doctors, Specialist trainees, GP trainees, medical students, and nurse prescribers, which reflects his belief that good medicine is also about communication, mentorship, and sharing knowledge generously.

Qualifications and Registration

Dr Pankhurst holds an MB ChB from the University of Stellenbosch (1995) and an MMed (Psychiatry) from the University of the Free State (2004). He is a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (membership number 814145) and is fully registered with the General Medical Council (GMC number 4332240), which maintains the official register of licensed doctors in the UK. He also holds a Teaching and Training Certificate from KSS Deanery and is a Registered Educational and Clinical Tutor with the GMC. You can verify his registration at any time on the GMC's public website.

"My approach to psychiatry is built on one simple belief: that with the right support, every person has the capacity to recover. I take the time to understand not just your symptoms, but your story — because that is where lasting change begins." — Dr Kevin Pankhurst, Consultant Psychiatrist

‍

f you are considering making an appointment — whether you have a clear sense of what you need or simply feel that something is not right and you would like to talk it through — Dr Pankhurst and his team would be very glad to hear from you. There is no pressure and no expectation. The first step is simply getting in touch.

‍

‍