Barbara Young decides to leave Care Quality Commission
5 December 2009
Barbara Young, the Chairman of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), informed the Board of the Care Quality Commission and the Secretary of State for Health on 26 November that, after careful prior reflection, she had decided to stand down as chairman with effect from 1 February.
Barbara Young said "Having overseen the major task of creating a single regulator for health and social care and pointed it in the right direction, I have decided that it will be for others to take it forward. I wish all success to the Commission and its staff and to Dame Jo Williams who has agreed to act as Chairman until a successor is appointed. Jo will start to take up the reins in January."
Cynthia Bower, chief executive of CQC, said: "Barbara joined CQC in May 2008 and her strong leadership has seen us successfully through the transition from three predecessor organisations. She has put CQC on the map as the regulator of health and social care and will be a tough act to follow. We wish her all the best in the next stage of her career."
Jo Williams, deputy chair of CQC, said: "CQC's board were sad to hear that Barbara has decided to move on, both on a professional and personal level. Barbara has played a major role in forging CQC's strategy for the next five years. The Board is fully signed up to take this strategy forward and our focus now is building on the momentum we have and delivering our important work on registration
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Note to editors
Dame Jo Williams CBE is Deputy Chairman of the CQC and a non executive member of the CQC's board since its inception in shadow form in October 2008. Most of her working life was spent in local government including 10 years as a Director of Social Services in Wigan Metropolitan Borough and Cheshire County Council. From early 2002 until November 2008 Dame Jo was Chief Executive of Mencap the leading charity for people with a learning disability.
Barbara Young was appointed after an independent recruitment process carried out by the Appointments Commission, the independent organisation responsible on behalf of the Secretary of State for appointing chairs and non-executive directors to a range of NHS organisations. Her appointment was subject to scrutiny by the Health Select Committee, which supported her nomination.
Barbara Young's early career was spent in public relations and health services management. She was Chairman then President of the Institute of Health Services Management from 1986-88, and a King's Fund International Fellow in 1985-86 and 1990-1991.
Prior to joining CQC, Barbara was Chief Executive of the Environment Agency. She has also been Chairman of English Nature, Vice Chairman of the BBC, and Chief Executive of the RSPB.
She has roles in a number of voluntary sector environment organisations, and is on the Policy Committee of the Institute of Public Policy Research.
Barbara Young is a non-affiliated Life Peer as Baroness Young of Old Scone.
