Dr Jim Crabb

Dr Jim Crabb is a Consultant Psychiatrist in NHS Forth Valley, where he has worked since 2011. Between 2018 and 2023, he served as Associate Medical Director for Mental Health Services within the organisation. This included a period in a Silver Command role coordinating the health and social care response to the COVID-19 pandemic, an experience that demonstrated how services can be reorganised rapidly and effectively when there is a shared commitment to change.

Jim trained in Sheffield and London before working in West Africa, where he developed mental health training programmes and systems. He later returned to Scotland, specialising in post-traumatic stress disorder and contributing to a Global Mental Health Master's Programme. These experiences have given him a strong interest in how different health systems can improve outcomes for individuals and communities.

A former elected Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland's General Adult Faculty, Jim has represented the majority of Scotland's psychiatrists and has led several national initiatives, including chairing the group that developed Scotland's national approach to managing substance use on mental health wards. He currently serves as the College's Policy Lead in Scotland and as Presidential Lead for Work, Housing and Money. He co-authored the College's report Multi-system Solutions for Meeting the Needs of Autistic People and People with ADHD in Scotland.

As Presidential Lead, Jim is passionate about the role that social and economic factors play in mental health, and about ensuring that evidence-based, realistic and person-centred approaches direct resources to where they can achieve the greatest benefit.