Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care Andrea Sutcliffe issues final message

Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care Andrea Sutcliffe has issued her final message before stepping down.

The chief inspector, who is leaving to join the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) in the New Year (see BREAKING NEWS: CQC’s Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, announces departure), is stepping down after five years in her post.

Andrea said: “I leave my role as chief inspector with adult social care in a better place than we were five years ago with increasing numbers of services rated as ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’.

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“But despite the progress, due to the considerable efforts of so many people across the sector, there is uncertainty and challenge with some services struggling to maintain quality and others failing to improve. While demand is increasing and resources are tight, we still need to focus on providing safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and I am sure everyone will continue to do that.”

Andrea stressed the importance of service users, their families and carers working more closely with the health sector in order to improve quality standards.

She said her passion for adult social care and the people who use the service would never leave her and she would remain involved in the sector through her work with the NMC.

Andrea will be replaced by Debbie Westhead who will take on the role of Interim Chief Inspector in the New Year until a permanent replacement is found.

“Debbie started her career as a frontline care worker and is a huge asset to CQC,” Andrea said.

“I am confident that Debbie and the team will continue to work with providers to ensure they deliver high-quality care.”