Dr Francesca Vella

Dr Francesca Vella is a Consultant General Adult Psychiatrist at Harbor with more than ten years of experience across inpatient and community psychiatric services, both in the UK and abroad.

Her areas of expertise include adult ADHD and neurodiversity, neuropsychiatry, OCD, anxiety, depression and liaison psychiatry. Much of her work is with people whose conditions are complex or have not responded to earlier treatment. She also has a specialist interest in neuromodulation, particularly transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a non-invasive treatment that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain involved in mood.

Dr Vella has held senior clinical roles in acute mental health services, including Consultant and Responsible Clinician at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. A Responsible Clinician has overall responsibility for the care of patients treated under the Mental Health Act.

Professional Background & Qualifications

Dr Vella qualified in medicine at the University of Malta and holds a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in Psychiatry.

She also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy from Oxford and a Postgraduate Certificate in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health from King’s College London.

She is registered with the General Medical Council and is a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

She is Section 12 approved and an Approved Clinician under the Mental Health Act. She also holds European rTMS Certification from Maastricht University.

Healthcare Leadership & Experience

Dr Vella currently works in a UK neurodevelopmental service, where much of her work involves assessing and treating ADHD in adults.

She has led a randomised controlled trial of TMS for OCD that had not responded to other treatments. She has also published in peer-reviewed psychiatric journals.

Approach to Care

Dr Vella’s practice is evidence-based, and she takes time to understand each person’s symptoms and circumstances before recommending treatment.

Her experience with neuromodulation means she can consider options beyond medication and talking therapy for people who have already tried several treatments.

She works as part of the multidisciplinary team at Harbor, assessing each client carefully and adjusting treatment as their needs change.