Dr James Woolley, Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr James Woolley is an award-winning Consultant Psychiatrist specialising in adult mental health and the psychological impact of physical illness, including cancer. He has almost 20 years’ consultant experience across leading London NHS teaching hospitals, including The Maudsley, Royal Free, King’s College, St George’s, Royal Brompton & Harefield and the Royal Marsden Hospitals.
Trained at Imperial College London (St Mary’s Hospital) in Medicine and University College London in Psychology, Dr Woolley initially qualified in general medicine. He was awarded Membership of the Royal College of Physicians before specialising in psychiatry at The Maudsley and Institute of Psychiatry, where he also gained research experience and further postgraduate qualifications in cognitive behavioural therapy at King’s College London. In 2021, he was elected Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and in 2023 a rare dual Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians, emphasising his work in the overlap between physical and mental health.
His clinical work focuses particularly on the complex interaction between mental and physical health; supporting people with existing mental health conditions during treatment for physical illness, and those who develop psychological difficulties following medical diagnoses. He has extensive experience treating conditions including anxiety, depression, OCD, bipolar disorder, psychosis, ADHD and addiction, often working closely with oncology and other medical teams to ensure integrated care.
Alongside his NHS career, he has worked in the private mental health sector for nearly 20 years at prestigious units such as the Priory Hospital Roehampton where he was Clinical Tutor, and was then recruited as a founding consultant at Schoen Clinic Chelsea. He also has longstanding roles in quality improvement, governance and management, including Medical Appraisals and Revalidation Lead at a large London hospital Trust, and most recently UK Medical Director for a large international mental health group. He is also very active in assessing the mental health status of commercial pilots throughout the UK and is a GMC Associate, having been selected by the national medical regulator to monitor and assist doctors having their own mental health difficulties.
Specialisms
Anxiety
Depression
OCD
Bipolar disorder
Psychosis
ADHD
Addiction
Terminal & Chronic illness