CQC chair resigns saying “regulation is beginning to have an impact”

Dame Jo Williams, chair of England care regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has announced that she is resigning from her post and will step down as soon as a successor is appointed, commenting:

“Having served on the Board of the CQC for almost four years, and as Chair for nearly three, I am proud of the progress we have made.

“It has been a demanding and complex role, and there have undoubtedly been challenges as we registered 40,000 providers and brought the entire health and social care system under one set of standards.

“But there is now clear evidence that our regulation is beginning to have an impact on the care that people receive, and it feels as if the organisation is moving into the next stage of its development.

“This week, we have published a consultation document setting out proposals for CQC’s strategic direction for the next three years.”

The resignation marks the second high-profile departure from the CQC this year, with chief executive Cynthia Bower having also stepped down and replaced by David Behan, who Dame Jo Williams was keen to pass on her best wishes to:

“I am delighted that that I have been able to appoint David Behan as CQC’s new Chief Executive – I am confident that he will continue to build on the progress that we have made in promoting and protecting the health and safety of people who use services.

“It has been a privilege to hold this important role but I now believe it is time to step aside and for a new Chair to lead CQC into the next stage.”

Responding to the news of her resignation, permanent secretary of the Department of Health, Sir Christopher Kelly, says:

“Over many years of devoted public service, Jo Williams has shown tireless commitment to improving care for individuals, carers and their families, in particular people who rely on mental health and learning disability services.

“In all her roles she has shown great integrity and provided strong leadership. She has never shied away from taking on tough challenges. There are many who owe her a deep debt of gratitude.”

Andrew Dilnot, the man whose Commission lies at the centre of Government care reform, was also among those to express his gratitude, including for her contribution to the care funding debate:

“I have enormous admiration and respect for Dame Jo; her insight, experience and commitment were invaluable to the work of the Commission of Funding of Care and Support, which reported last summer.

“While she will be much missed in her position as CQC Chair, I hope that Adult Social Care will continue to benefit from her contribution via other forums.”

During her time as chair, Dame Jo Williams has seen many important developments and controversies. The Winterbourne View scandal was perhaps the most notable of these, which led to an apology from the regulator for failure to respond to whistleblower reports of the ill-treatment of residents with learning disabilities – revealed by a Panorama documentary.

The CQC has also undertaken the re-registering of all care services and removed the star ratings system from care homes, which has yet to be replaced with an alternative.

Both Dame Jo Williams and David Behan are scheduled to appear before a health select committee tomorrow, being the second annual accountability hearing for the regulator, during which they are expected to be challenged regarding allegations that the now former Health Secretary Andrew Lansley had been asked to remove board member Key Sheldon from her post due to unfounded concerns over mental capacity.

Moving forwards, the CQC has begun a consultation, scheduled to run until 6 December, that welcomes comment from a wide range of care providers, organisations and individuals with a view on the regulators’ ideas for its next three-year strategy.

Commenting on the CQC’s commitments, David Behan says: “For CQC, being successful means that more health and care services meet quality and safety standards – and improve quickly if they don’t.

“I want people to know that together with Healthwatch as the consumer champion we will listen to them and use their experiences to help inform the judgements we make about services.

“And I want to ensure providers of services understand what good looks like and what is unacceptable so they can improve the services they provide.

“CQC is now in its fourth year. As we enter the next stage of our development I am clear that our role is to check that health and care services meet national standards and in that way drive improvements in the quality and safety of services.

“Perhaps the most significant of our proposed changes is that we’ll tailor the way we regulate different types of organisations based on what has the most impact on driving improvement. We will put people’s views at the centre of what we do.

“We also recognise we need to work more effectively with others. We have a common goal with other organisations to improve the quality of health and care services. By sharing information and acting together we will be more effective in driving improvement.”