Cardinal Clinic was founded in 1976 by psychiatrist Dr. Leslie Morrish and his wife, Pat. From the start, it stood out as an excellent, patient-centred, and independently operated mental health unit in Windsor. Dr. Morrish was well known for pushing back against the industrialisation and growing corporatisation of private mental healthcare.
For those of us who have been around a while, we owe him and Pat a huge debt of gratitude. We learned so much from them - not just through their innovations but also through their principles. Robin and I both had the privilege of learning from them, and our families worked alongside Leslie and Pat for many years. They were cut from the same cloth as our own families, sharing the same pioneering, independent approach to care that shaped the way we grew up.
So, when it became clear that Cardinal Clinic might not continue to operate in this spirit, we made a decision. We knew we had to step in - not just to preserve its important legacy but to build on it, bringing innovation and independence, just as we have done with our existing companies, PROMIS and Portobello Behavioural Health. We’re beyond excited to be working together (continuing a decades-old friendship) and to bring the wider community into shaping a service that reflects the incredible innovation and talent in the UK mental health field.
Cardinal Clinic sits on a 10-acre site just outside Windsor, a short drive from London with easy access from the M4, M25, and Heathrow Airport.
Robin Lefever is a serial entrepreneur in the field of mental health and addiction across Europe. Since the early ’90s, he has been opening and operating clinics, always pushing against orthodoxy while staying fully abreast of clinical research. He’s a firm believer in clinically innovative approaches without discarding what’s tried and tested. For Robin, Cardinal Clinic is a perfect fit within the continuum of care he already manages in Kent and London, offering inpatient, day patient, and outpatient services. His experience with addiction, eating disorders, trauma, and related mental health conditions aligns naturally with Cardinal’s work.
Johan has opened and operated clinics across three continents, and for the last decade, has focused on the pre- and post-care spectrum of non-residential mental health services.
Together, we believe we can take what already exists at Cardinal, integrate the experience we’ve gained from our other businesses, and open the service to innovative ideas from trusted colleagues. Our goal is to create something truly ground-breaking - a service that fits and reflects the needs of 21st-century mental healthcare.
