Care regulator head leaves post

The head of the body regulating health and social care has announced her resignation – as a critical government report into its work is published.

Cynthia Bower said it was “time to move on” from her post as England’s Care Quality Commission chief executive.

The CQC came under attack last year over the exposure of serious abuses at the Winterbourne View care home.

The Department of Health report said it had underestimated its task and could have done more to manage risks.

The CQC was heavily criticised after the exposure of serious abuses at the Winterbourne View home for people with learning disabilities.

It was accused of failing to act when it was warned of concerns.

It has also been heavily criticised during the public inquiry into the failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust, and in reports by the Health Select Committee and the Audit Commission.
Core duties

Announcing her departure, Cynthia Bower said “After almost four years leading CQC, I feel that it is now time to move on.

“The process of setting up an entirely new system of regulation has been intensely challenging – but we have accomplished an enormous amount.

“We have merged three organisations, registered 40,000 provider locations and brought virtually the entire health and social care network under one set of standards, which focus on the needs of people who use services.”

The Department of Health report said the CQC had made “considerable achievements” since 2009, bringing together three different organisations, creating the largest organisation of its kind in the world, and set up a new system of regulation.

And it said that, over recent months, there had been “significant improvements”, with increases in the number of inspectors and more focus on “core duties” of registering and inspecting healthcare providers.

But it added: “The review found that the scale of this task had been underestimated by CQC and the department, and more could have done more to manage risks during the early years of the organisation’s operation.”

It added: “The role of the CQC has not been as clear as it needs to be to health and care providers, patients and the public.”