NHS review chief appointed GP inspector

28 Aug 13
Steve Field, who led the 2011 review into the government’s controversial NHS reforms, has been appointed the Care Quality Commission’s chief inspector of general practice

By Vivienne Russell | 28 August 2013

Steve Field, who led the 2011 review into the government’s controversial NHS reforms, has been appointed the Care Quality Commission’s chief inspector of general practice.

His job will be to champion the interests of people using GP and dental services, ensuring services are safe, effective, caring and responsive to people’s needs, the CQC said. He will also oversee the introduction of a ratings system for registered primary care providers.

A senior figures in the NHS, Field will join the organisation from NHS England where he was deputy national medical director responsible for addressing health inequalities. 

In 2011, he chaired an expert panel asked to review the government’s health reforms, which had met with some bitter opposition. Its recommendations led to the plans being redrawn and refocused.

He said he was ‘thrilled’ to be appointed to the role.

‘I see this as a wonderful opportunity to highlight what’s good in general practice and dentistry, and to shine a light on what isn’t. It’s an opportunity to make sure that all organisations are encouraged to live up to the standards of the best,’ he said.

‘I have had a long-standing commitment to address health inequalities and this role will enable me to ensure that primary medical services put this increasingly important issue high on their agendas. It will also allow me to focus on making sure that people receive health and care services that are integrated.’

Field will perform his duties as chief inspector while continuing to practise as a GP at the Bellevue Medical Centre in Birmingham. 

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt welcomed the appointment saying Field would speak up for patients ‘without fear or favour’.

Field’s appointment completes the triumvirate of chief inspectors at the CQC. Mike Richards is to lead on hospital inspections, while Andrea Sutcliffe will oversee social care.

CQC chair David Prior said: ‘Collectively that team will lead the changes to the way we work as a regulator, improving the way we ensure that health and care services are safe, effective, caring, well-led and responsive to people’s needs.’

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