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Four new CQC directors named after long delay

Published on: 5 Jun 2023
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The Care Quality Commission has finally been able to appoint four new non-executive board members — one of whom will be the chair of Healthwatch England — after months of delays.

The appointments were advertised last summer and waited for months for sign off by Steve Barclay, a delay which meant the CQC had to flag potential governance problems with the National Audit Office.

Today it confirmed the four new NEDs, one of whom, Professor David Croisdale-Appleby, will also be the chair of Healthwatch England, which is hosted by the CQC.

Professor Croisdale-Appleby, previously a Health Education England NED, is currently chair of the Royal College of Physicians, Dementia UK and Durham University Business School. 

The three additional new NEDs are:

  • Ali Hasan, who joined the CQC as an associate NED in January 2021, and now joins the board formally. He is currently chief medical and healthcare officer at Vitality Health;
  • Christine Asbury, former chief executive of not-for-profit care provider WCS Care; and
  • Mark Chakravarty, a former doctor who has worked across the private sector and is vice chair of the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence.

CQC chair Ian Dilks said the new recruits “bring a wealth of experience and expertise”.

HSJ reported in the Spring the CQC was unable to appoint any new NEDs because of delays in sign-off from ministers, which saw the regulator flag concerns about the impact this was having on its governance with the National Audit Office and prompt concerns the board could become inquorate.

Several other national and local senior appointments were also held up.

NHS England appointed for three NED positions in the Spring, but the expected timetable for this process has not yet passed.