Doctor from RCHT wins place on national fellowship to address health inequalities
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust and Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are celebrating the success of Dr Bothwell Kabayira, who has been awarded a place on the prestigious Population Health Fellowship.
Delivered by Health Education England in partnership with the University of Salford, the year-long fellowship provides healthcare professionals with the skills and knowledge to tackle health inequalities through research and service improvement projects.
Dr Kabayira, who has worked as a locum doctor across RCHT and CFT for the past three years, was selected following a rigorous national application process. He will now undertake a project focusing on the impact of housing and social conditions on health outcomes across Cornwall and the wider Southwest.
“I am honoured to have been selected as a Population Health Fellow,” said Dr Kabayira. “While I enjoy my clinical work, I am passionate about prevention – supporting people to stay well and out of hospital in the first place. Housing, employment and education all have a direct effect on people’s health, and I want to explore how we can address these challenges locally.”
In addition to his clinical experience across medicine, paediatrics, surgery and emergency care, Dr Kabayira has taken part in several national leadership and innovation programmes. These programmes include the NHS Leadership Academy, the Clinical Entrepreneur Programme and the Healthcare Leadership Academy. He also served as a Digital Clinical Fellow, supporting the Trust’s transition to electronic patient records.
His interest in housing and health inequalities was reinforced by cases he has encountered on the wards. “I have treated patients who were homeless and living in tents,” he explained. “Without a GP or fixed address, they face real difficulties managing medication and follow-up care, which too often leads to readmission. Addressing these issues benefits both patients and the wider health system.”
Cornwall’s well-documented housing pressures, driven in part by a lack of social housing, second home ownership and holiday lets, form a significant backdrop to Dr Kabayira’s fellowship project. He is already working closely with the RCHT’s homeless liaison team and Cornwall Council to identify opportunities for improvement.
Dr Kabayira added:
“Prevention can be better than cure. By tackling the wider factors that influence health, we can help reduce pressure on hospitals and improve outcomes for our communities. I am excited to begin this fellowship, which I believe reflects positively on RCHT’s commitment to addressing health disparities and supporting professional development, and to build on the excellent work of previous participants.”