The CQC has appointed GP and NHS England inequalities lead, Professor Bola Owolabi, as its new chief inspector of primary care.
The role was abolished in 2023, when the chief inspectors of hospitals and primary care were merged under a new chief inspector of healthcare, but was reinstated following the review of the CQC’s functions in October last year.
Professor Owolabi is currently director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England, where she spearheaded the Core20PLUS5 approach, which was designed to reduce healthcare inequalities at a national and local level.
The review of the CQC, led by now NHS England chair Dr Penny Dash, found ‘significant failings’ in the CQC.
It recommended that it rebuild its expertise, concluding: ‘There is an urgent need to appoint highly regarded senior clinicians as chief inspector of hospitals and chief inspector of primary and community care.’
There will be four chief inspectors in total, with the remaining two leading on mental health, and adult social care and integrated care
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of CQC, said: ‘As we rebuild and develop the way that we work as a regulator, there has never been a clearer need for the thoughtful balance of clinical expertise, national leadership and understanding that Bola has shown in her work as a general practitioner and director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England.’
Professor Bola Owolabi said: ‘My passionate commitment to reducing inequalities in healthcare has guided my career, and I’m delighted that my new role will help independent regulation play a more central role in building a truly equitable health and care system that delivers for everyone, especially underserved communities.
‘As a practising GP, I’ll be drawing on personal experience to help ensure that CQC’s regulation supports primary medical services to provide the best possible care for people. My work on improving integrated person-centred care has also given me a real understanding of the opportunities presented by community services to improve lives and help people get well and stay well.’
Professor Owolabi will join CQC in the summer and will continue to work as a GP in the Midlands.
