Listening, learning, responding to concerns

Published: 29 March 2023 Page last updated: 29 March 2023

This review looks how well we listen when people share concerns with us.

We commissioned the review following an employment tribunal case brought by Mr Shyam Kumar. It is made up of 2 phases, published in separate reports.


Read the reports

Phase 1: Independent review into CQC's response to protected disclosures made by Mr Shyam Kumar and a sample of other cases


Phase 2: Listening, learning, responding to concerns: a review to identify improvements in how we learn from, respond to and act on concerns


Phase 1 was an independent review which Zoë Leventhal KC was appointed to lead. This looks into the handling of protected disclosures shared by Mr Shyam Kumar, alongside a sample of other information of concern shared with us by health and care staff.

We also committed to carry out a wider review (phase 2) to explore whether there are areas of culture or process within CQC that need to be improved. As part of this, we committed to looking at whether race or any other protected characteristic has any impact on how we treat information of concern, reflecting on findings from Mr Kumar’s employment tribunal.

Phase 2 is made up of 5 workstreams that addressed areas deemed critical by the CQC Board to address:

  1. reviewing how well we listen to whistleblowing concerns
  2. reviewing how we support people at CQC to speak up
  3. learning from the tribunal case raised by Mr Shyam Kumar
  4. reviewing how we listen to our staff
  5. reviewing the expectations and experiences of people who raise concerns about care with us