Dr. Suchi Bhandari

Dr. Suchitra Bhandari (Suchi) is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and the Director of North Central London Vanguard Services for Violence Reduction, North London Foundation Trust (NLFT). She has been the Director of Psychological Therapies for Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust until 2024.  Her clinical expertise is in the area of community psychology and care for complex adult mental health patients.   She has supported and helped to develop psychological therapies governance systems and services for 15 years in this role.  Suchi has also successfully completed a Ph.D.

Suchi is passionate about working with barriers to transform systems, especially in the field of health, racial and social inequalities.  In 2015, she launched and set up a holistic mental health and wellbeing service (Project Future), which is psychologically underpinned for young people and their communities who are affected by serious youth violence, are socially marginalised and at risk of gang affiliations. In 2021, her leadership enabled the service to win an NHS England bid to expand this model of service to all 5 boroughs in North Central London (Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Camden and Islington), called the North Central London Vanguard.  These services have won 6 nationally prestigious HSJ awards, which have helped to recognise the creative and innovative efforts of the team and contributions made by young people, their communities and all partnership organisations who have worked collaboratively together.  Suchi’s leadership over these years has endeavoured to bring system changes to this cause.  Suchi has also been awarded the London NHS Leadership Recognition award in 2017 for “Leading Systems transformation”. 

She is honoured to have the privilege to work with this very resourceful, creative and resilient cohort of young people and their communities.