Alison Halliwell is a mental health practitioner leading a team in general practice in Fleetwood. The service Alison leads began in 2004 when 42% of patients were presenting to GPs with a mental health component to their illness. Fourteen years on and now only 8% of her GPs’ time is spent dealing with mental health issues. The service has won six national awards and Alison explains how it began, how it developed, how it runs and offers advice to other practices thinking of doing the same.