By Vivienne Russell | 14 December 2012
Former Conservative MP David Prior has been named as the new chair of the Care Quality Commission and will take up the post towards the end of next month.
Prior, who currently chairs Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, replaces Dame Jo Williams as chair of the health and social care watchdog.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt named Prior as his preferred candidate to replace Williams on November 29 and the Commons health select committee questioned him at a pre-appointment hearing on December 5.
Speaking as his appointment was confirmed yesterday, Prior said he was a believer in the NHS, but not a ‘reflex defender’ of it.
Setting out his vision for the watchdog, he said: ‘CQC must be an intelligent, risk driven, consistent and transparent regulator of care standards. It will be driven by common sense and judgement not box ticking and form filling. It will be concerned both with the quality of hands on clinical practice and with the culture, governance, openness and sustainability of the organisations that provide care.
‘The organisations that CQC regulate must demonstrate that the systemic failure of care that occurred at Stafford Hospital and Winterbourne View does not, will not and could not happen here. The ultimate test for all those involved directly or indirectly in delivering care is: “would I be happy for myself or my loved ones to be cared for here?”’
CQC chief executive David Behan said he was looking forward to working with Prior.
‘David’s experience within the NHS, as chairman of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Foundation Trust, as well as his wider governance and industry experience will prove vital in meeting the important regulatory challenges ahead,’ he said.
‘I would like to thank Dame Jo Williams for all her hard work over the last few years in getting CQC to this important point in its development.’
Prior served as Conservative MP for North Norfolk between 1997 and 2001 and was also deputy chair of the party and its chief executive. Before entering politics, he qualified as a barrister and worked in the steel industry and investment banking.
He will take up his post with the CQC on January 28 2013.
