24.02.12
Bower quits after Government review
CQC chief executive Cynthia Bower has resigned, following the publication of a report on the CQC’s performance. While the Government review acknowledges the good work of the organisation, it sets out key recommendations to improve the regulator.
The Performance and Capability Review calls for a clearer strategic direction, developing and delivering the regulatory model, clearer accountability with a stronger board and clear measures of success to track performance.
The report stated that the CQC faced operational and strategic difficulties, including delays to provider registration, shortcomings in compliance activity and a negative impact on public confidence.
The Department of Health also recognised that it has “more to do as a sponsor” and said: “Work is underway to strengthen accountability arrangements across all the Department’s arms length bodies”.
The review continued: “With hindsight, both the Department and CQC underestimated the scale of the task of establishing a new regulator, bringing a new regulatory system into place and managing expectations of what CQC’s role would be. Even so, CQC could have done more to manage operational risks.”
In a brief statement, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “I would like to thank Cynthia for her work and leadership and wish her the best of luck for the future. Over the last year, we have seen CQC make improvements and respond to the need for enhanced scrutiny and enforcement of standards.”
NHS Confederation deputy chief executive David Stout said: “It is really important that the Department has recognised that more and more inspections are not the answer to regulating the NHS effectively. There is a real danger of going after simplistic, ineffective answers, in particular with the Mid Staffs inquiry results on the horizon.
“An effective regulator needs to work with and earn the confidence of the organisations it regulates. We have made the point that the inspectors are not always earning the confidence of the organisations they visit because their knowledge is too generic.
“But we are pleased that the Government is more interested in changing how the CQC works and its focus rather than the form. There has been too much structural change to regulation. The organisation needs some stability to give it a fair chance of success.”
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