CQC primary care inspector awarded high honour by King
A GP who was recently appointed as the new CQC chief inspector of primary care has been recognised in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours list.
Professor Bola Owolabi, a GP and director of inequalities at NHS England, was awarded a CBE ‘for her services to reducing health inequalities’.
She 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.
Professor Owolabi said: ‘It is a great honour to be recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours as Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE).
‘This stands as a legacy of the work to address health inequalities by driving forward a powerful vision of exceptional quality healthcare for all, ensuring equitable access, excellent experience and optimal outcomes.’
Professor Owolabi was appointed new chief inspector of primary care last month, following a damning review last year.
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 will join CQC in the summer and will continue to work as a GP in the Midlands.
Other GPs have also been recognised in the honours list, including Cardiff GP Dr Roger Lloyd Morris, who was awarded an MBE ‘for his services to healthcare, to charity and to the community’.
In a post on Facebook, Dr Morris said: ‘I’m really chuffed with the award. I loved working in the practice and worked with some fantastic people who deserve it just as much.’
Newport GP Dr Modupeola Obilanadewas also awarded an MBE for services to her community in Wales.
In a statement, her practice said: ‘For almost two decades, Dr Obilanade has been a GP at St Paul’s Clinic. This award spotlights her leadership, passion, tirelessness and according to her the team efforts of both past and present staff of St Paul’s Clinic and those of her community.’
Professor Louise Dubras, from Ulster University’s school of medicine, was also awarded an MBE ‘for services to general practice and medical education’.
Under her leadership, the school of medicine welcomed its first cohort of medical students in 2021 and secured accreditation from the GMC.
Professor Dubras said: ‘I am so proud to receive this recognition: after 40 years as a doctor, 35 of which have been as a GP. Care for patients has always been central to everything I have done. I have been privileged to have been allowed into the lives of so many patients over my career, many of whom have been marginalised as homeless, asylum seekers, prisoners, travellers.
‘Patient journeys informed my early medical education and have continued to shape it thereafter. The thousands of students i have nurtured along the way would confirm that it’s always been about the patients.’
Professor Jaspal Singh Taggar, an expert in medical education from the University of Nottingham and a practising GP, was also recognised for his services to general practice with an MBE.
He codeveloped a national education virtual learning platform of authentic GP consultations for clinical learning across all UK medical schools, and developed and implemented innovations to enable GP registrars to train and supervise medical students.
He said: ‘I am deeply humbled by receiving this award in recognition for my leadership as an academic general practitioner.
‘As a clinician, educator and researcher, I have been very fortunate to lead and work with so many amazing people and, through these teams, we have achieved so much to ultimately benefit our patients, peers and communities.’
Dr Harvey Sampson, a GP, who has dedicated over 40 years to supporting the community of Highbridge and Burnham on Sea, and the wider population of Somerset was a Medallist of the Order of the British Empire (MEB) for services to general practice.
He said: ‘I am absolutely delighted to have been included in this year’s King’s birthday honours list. To be recognised for my work with the award of British Empire Medal is a huge honour, and it has been a privilege to help care for patients in Somerset over the years.’
