Adult Social Care Deputy Chief Inspectors all now appointed

6 May 2014

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has now appointed the full team of Deputy Chief Inspectors for Adult Social Care to lead their teams in the North, Central, South and London regions.

The appointments mark another step forward in the regulator’s aim to make sure adult social care services provide safe, effective, compassionate and high quality care.

Sally Warren, current Director of Programmes at Public Health England, is the latest recruit to be named as CQC’s new Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care for London and joins previously appointed experts Debbie Westhead (North), Malcolm Bower-Brown (Central) and Adrian Hughes (South).

Sally brings a track record of driving forward radical policy improvement following a number of key leadership roles at the Department of Health, including in social care policy, leading the 2010 Spending Review for Adult Social Care, the 2012 Caring for Our Future White Paper, the new approach to paying for social care and pre legislative scrutiny of the 2013 Draft Care Bill.

Commenting on her appointment, Sally said: “I am excited to be joining Andrea and the team at CQC.”

She added: “The introduction of the new approach to inspection and regulation is a critical time for the adult social care sector and I’m looking forward to starting work with colleagues to make the vision a reality.”

Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care at CQC, said: “I am delighted we now have a full team of Deputy Chief Inspectors and I am looking forward to working with them all.

“We know how important good leadership is in adult social care services and it is equally critical for us, particularly at a time of so much change. Adrian, Debbie, Malcolm and Sally bring a wealth and variety of experience, knowledge and skills that will be essential as we transform our approach to regulation and inspection and establish our new expert teams.”

For further information – and to have a say – about proposed changes to the way social care and health services are being regulated, inspected and rated, log onto the website or follow CQC on Twitter @CareQualityComm using the hashtag #tellCQC

For media enquiries about the Care Quality Commission, please call the CQC press office on 020 7448 9401 during office hours or out-of-hours on 07917 232 143.

For general enquiries, please call 03000 61 61 61.

Ends

Notes to Editors

A photo of Sally Warren, CQCs newly appointed Deputy Chief Inspector (Adult Social Care) for the London Region is available to download from CQCs Flickr page:

www.flickr.com/photos/100155095@N03/14141949863/sizes/l/

Sally is due to start her new role in June 2014.

Further biographies and links to photo downloads are highlighted below:

Deborah Westhead - Deputy Chief Inspector for Adult Social Care in the North Region:

www.flickr.com/photos/100155095@N03/13935532987/sizes/l/

Debbie has extensive experience of the social care market, having begun her career as a care assistant for Lancashire County Council. After holding a number of posts in the sector, her passion for quality services and listening to the views of people saw Debbie move into care regulation. She now has over 20 years’ experience in the field, including seven years at the Commission for Social Care Inspection.

Debbie joined CQC in 2009 as a National Relationship Manager, the first of a number of posts in the organisation that also include Head of Regional Compliance for the North East and Operational Improvement Manager. She was appointed Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care in the North Region in 2014.

Malcolm Bower-Brown - Deputy Chief Inspector for Adult Social Care in the Central Region:

www.flickr.com/photos/100155095@N03/9524388694/

Malcolm joined CQC as Regional Director for the North Region in 2012. He was appointed Deputy Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care for the Central Region in 2014. Malcolm started his career in social care as a care assistant, supporting people with learning disabilities. In 1996 he joined the charity Leonard Cheshire Disability and undertook a number of progressively more senior management roles, including the national post of Managing Director of Operations.

Malcolm lives with his wife and three children in Lincoln and in his spare time enjoys cycling and the music of Leonard Cohen.

Adrian Hughes - Deputy Chief Inspector for Adult Social Care in the South Region:

www.flickr.com/photos/100155095@N03/9932791415/

Adrian started his career in children's services and began working with adults and older people after qualifying as a social worker. He spent a large part of his social work career specialising in learning disability services, as both practitioner and manager. He remains on the Health and Care Professions Council register and, in addition to his social work qualification, he has a BA in Public Sector Administration and Social Work and a postgraduate diploma in Managing Health and Social Care.

Before joining CQC, Adrian worked for the organisation's predecessors in social care regulation. He was CQC's first national Head of Registration, responsible for delivering the transition registration of primary dental providers, out of hours providers and primary medical service providers. He was Regional Director for the South before being appointed Deputy Chief Inspector for Adult Social Care (South Region and Registration) in 2014.