Professor of Liaison Psychiatry, University of Southampton, UK

Robert Charles Peveler led developments in liaison psychiatry, both locally, in Southampton, and nationally, at a time before such services became widespread. He went on to work within the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN), promoting and integrating research into health and care settings. Robert died on 26 May 2026 at the age of 70 years, four and a half years after his diagnosis of a metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour.

Robert was born on 18 December 1955 in Leeds Maternity Hospital to Joan and Ron Peveler. He was educated at the Froebelian School in Horsforth, near Leeds, where his parents ran a small business, and then at Harrogate Grammar School. He won an Open Scholarship to Trinity College Oxford to read medicine and matriculated in 1973, at the age of 17. He was the first in his family to attend university. After taking a BA in physiological sciences, Robert decided that, rather than progressing directly to his clinical studies, he would take three years ‘out’ to undertake a DPhil on the ‘Sensitivity of baroreceptors in an animal model of hypertension’. He was supervised by professors Derek Bergel and Peter Sleight in the University Laboratory of Physiology, Oxford. Rowing, darts, cricket and dancing with the Oxford University Morris Men filled his leisure time, as well as being junior dean at Trinity College, which gave him much coveted dining rights at high table and access to Trinity’s wine cellar.

Following completion of his clinical studies and house jobs in Harrogate and Oxford, Robert decided to specialise in psychiatry, rather than cardiology, as originally planned, in order that he and his future wife, Geraldine Clough (whom he had met in Oxford), could more easily work in the same city. To this end he was appointed as a Wellcome Trust research fellow and clinical lecturer in psychiatry, based at the Warneford Hospital, Oxford.

Robert moved to Southampton in 1992 as a senior lecturer. He was appointed chair in liaison psychiatry in 1999 with the expectation that he would develop the Medical School’s academic interests in liaison psychiatry and, if possible, build a service for Southampton General Hospital. A year later the department (Mental Health Clinical Group), headed by Professor Chris Thompson, won a large grant to study the treatment of depression in general practice. Together, Robert, Chris and Tony Kendrick, recently appointed to the Primary Care department, were able to build a cadre of interested academics and expand studies looking at other aspects of mental health in general practice. Despite this diversion, Rob persevered mightily with the advocacy needed to establish a liaison service at the General Hospital, and his quiet determination led to the consultation-liaison psychiatry service there. He succeeded Chris as head of the Mental Health Clinical Group (2000–2008) and subsequently became director of the Division of Clinical Neurosciences in the Medical School (2008–2010). Robert also served as a non-executive director on the board of Hampshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (2005–2011).

Throughout his career, Robert’s clinical and research interests were focused on the interface between psychiatry and medicine, with particular interests in depression, chronic pain and chronic fatigue, and the physical health of people with long-term mental illness. His primary care mental health research with Chris and Tony informed the NICE depression guidelines of 2009 and 2022.

Robert was an active advocate for the development of integrated services for people with physical and mental health problems and held posts within the NIHR CRN for over 10 years. He served as director of the Wessex CRN, and subsequently as national clinical director for NHS Engagement at the NIHR CRN, leading work that supported health and care settings to promote and embed research into their local organisations. His one regret was that he held this final post during the COVID-19 pandemic and so was unable to travel regularly to meetings, which were held in NHS England’s HQ in his home city of Leeds.

One of Robert’s proudest academic achievements was the RCPsych book Primary Care Mental Health, co-edited with Linda Gask, the late Helen Lester, Tony Kendrick and Carolyn Chew-Graham, which won the prestigious BMA Primary Care Book of the Year award for both its first (2010) and second (2018) editions. In their book, which speaks to the essence of Robert’s clinical ethos, internationally respected authors provide both a conceptual background and practical advice on prevention, treatment, research and patient involvement for primary care clinicians, and for specialist mental health professionals liaising with primary care.

Robert came across as a gentle, unassuming character of great intellect, with a prodigious memory, a wry sense of humour and a zeal for raising awareness of mental health problems in general medical settings. Chris recalls:

Robert’s colleagues who served with him in the CRN and his many supervised postgraduate research students further attest to his ability to act as a role model, mentor and guide, and to his kindness and encouragement, particularly to the increasing number of general practitioner research fellows who joined the team under his aegis.

Robert’s great passions outside of work were music, good wine, Leeds United football club and his family. He was musically gifted and performed in a number of bands and ensembles throughout his life, from a ‘pretty awful’ band at school to ceilidh bands at university, and latterly the Second Wind saxophone quartet (all former clinicians) in Southampton. He is survived by his wife, Geraldine, his sons, William and Edward, and his granddaughters, Matilda and Zoë.