The Care Quality Commission has launched a recruitment drive for a new chief executive and is offering a salary of £220,000 for the successful candidate.
The hunt for a new boss comes after a tough period for the regulator – which is responsible for overseeing services such as care homes, clinics, dentists, hospitals and home-care agencies.
The CQC is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care, with an annual budget of around £300m and some 3,300 staff. However in less than two years it has lost two chief executives and faced stinging criticism.
Ian Trenholm stood down as CQC chief executive at the end of June 2024 after six years in post. Weeks later, newly-appointed health secretary Wes Streeting declared the regulator "unfit for purpose" after an independent review found shortcomings with inspection levels and the skills of staff.
In October 2024, Sir Julian Hartley was appointed as CQC chief executive. He resigned in October 2025 after an independent inquiry into maternity care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was announced. Hartley had been chief executive of the trust from 2013 to 2023, and said he felt his CQC role had “become incompatible” with important conversations about care at Leeds. Arun Chopra, who was the regulator's chief inspector of mental health, has served as interim CQC chief exec since Hartley’s departure.
In its advertisement for the next chief exec, the CQC acknowledges that it faces “complex challenges” and operates under “intense scrutiny”, navigating public and political expectations and workforce pressures.
“While we have not always met expectations, over the past year we have taken decisive steps: strengthening inspection and regulatory frameworks, investing in data and technology, and building a confident, professional workforce,” the regulator said. “Momentum is growing, but the next phase requires leadership in rebuilding operational strength around our core functions, while fostering innovation for the future.”
The advertisement says an “exceptional” chief executive is now required to lead the organisation through its “next chapter” and that the job is one of the most important leadership roles in the health and care system today.
“This is an opportunity to provide stability to a critical organisation, and to shape the future of health and care regulation in England, restoring confidence, sharpening impact and ensuring the regulator is strong, trusted and forward-looking,” the CQC said. “Working closely with the chair and board, you will set a clear strategic direction and translate ambition into delivery through strengthening consistency and timeliness, embedding intelligence-led regulation, driving quality improvement, and ensuring that CQC’s voice is authoritative, independent and focused relentlessly on people’s experiences and outcomes.”
The CQC says it is looking for candidates with a strong track record of leading complex organisations through change, operating confidently under scrutiny, and building trust with ministers, senior stakeholders, providers and the public.
“You will be politically astute, able to combine operational grip with empathy, and confident enough to take difficult decisions in the public interest,” it said. “Above all, you will be motivated by purpose and by the opportunity to protect people, raise standards and make a tangible difference at national scale.”
The CQC has offices in east London and Newcastle upon Tyne. An applicant pack for the chief executive role says hybrid working is a minimum requirement, with flexibility to agree a contractual base location – which could be home or the nearest CQC office.
The role is open to applications until 11.55pm on 15 May. Executive search firm Saxton Bampfylde is supporting the recruitment campaign.