Dr Hubert Emeka Onyekwelu
Health
Dr Hubert Emeka Onyekwelu became a Doctor in 1988. He obtained the Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG) in 1996 and Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) in 2002.
He was a Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St Mary’s Hospital Paddington in West London.
He has been Senior Partner and Lead Clinician at Abbeywood Surgery in South East London since 2002. The Surgery was a non-training practice when he joined, but he single-handedly changed this, and the Surgery has been a training practice since August 2011.
Dr Hubert Emeka Onyekwelu
Dr Hubert Emeka Onyekwelu
As well as being a GP trainer/supervisor since 2011, for the last four years, he has been a GP tutor for third year medical students at Imperial College Medical School London and final year students at King's College Medical School London – making him actively involved in the training and education of the future generation of doctors.
He was NHS General Practice appraiser and enjoyed the challenges that the role presented and was able to engage with colleagues to get them to see the benefits of the appraisal process, such that they also engaged with and enjoyed it.
He represents his practice at the Primary Care Network (PCN) meetings and engagements. He has been actively involved in the running and decisions of the PCN.
From February 2020 to December 2021, he was a Director in his local GP Federation - Greenwich Health, which is an organisation that all Greenwich practices are members of, and represents the wider interest of the practices.
He introduced some changes in the practice including improvement in the information technology system to record consultations, appointment systems, dedicated diabetes clinic, minor surgery sessions and chronic disease clinics/registers with systems for recalls - which did not exist prior to his joining the practice.
He regularly performs clinical audits and other data analyses to improve the care provided to patients. He engages with the patients through the Patient Participation Group (PPG) and this has been effective as one of the PPG members is a local community Councillor.
Against the backdrop of Abbeywood being a very deprived and under-doctored area with a life expectancy less than the average for England; he has made significant contributions towards the health and welfare of the local community especially the travellers (Gypsies) at The Thistlebrook caravan site by undertaking regular reviews of their numerous and complex health needs. There was a public health initiative as this large group of patients have a higher-than-average mortality rate and high rates of mental health as well as drug and alcohol problems. The attention to these disadvantaged group of patients has led to better management of certain diseases like mental illness, Ischaemic Heart Disease and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease which are very common in the local population but more so among the travellers.
He also made in-roads into smoking cessation and obesity, but due to changes in the clinical commissioning group, had to directly encourage the patients to attend the alternative services.
He has also been working with the London Ambulance Service in Barking, Essex since 2018, and handles NHS 111 calls. This has given him the opportunity to deal with unscheduled care for local patients.
He was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal College of General Practitioners (FRCG) in 2022 - the highest grade of membership, and the ultimate honour and achievement for GPs who have made a significant contribution to General Practice.
He is married to Hannah, a fellow General Practitioner, and are blessed with three children with his eldest daughter also being a medical doctor.