The patient is indeed the expert with lived experience of the condition; appropriately qualified professionals are the experts in terms of the science that underpins diagnosis and treatments, and the two must listen and learn from each other. Some say that ‘the real expert is always the patient’, and this is true, but both professionals and patients must avoid positioning themselves upon a polarised continuum. Good care occurs when professionals recognise patient expertise. Recognition of professional knowledge in diagnosis and treatment is an equally important component of good care, and one that will avoid disadvantaging some patient groups. Just as one would never expect that disadvantage in cancer or cardiac failure treatment, one should not expect it in the field of NDDs and mental health conditions.