Baroness Julia Neuberger has been appointed as the new Chair of the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The appointment follows a formal endorsement from the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee, which held a pre-appointment hearing before backing her selection.

The Committee published its report on the appointment on 11 September, confirming its endorsement of the government's intention to appoint Baroness Neuberger to the role. The Care Quality Commission subsequently welcomed the Secretary of State's decision to confirm her as Chair on 14 September.

Baroness Neuberger was first named as the government's preferred candidate for the role on 1 July, at which point the announcement was made by the then Health and Social Care Secretary, James Murray. Her nomination was subject to approval by the Health and Social Care Select Committee, with the hearing subsequently taking place in September as anticipated.

A crossbench peer, Baroness Neuberger brings a substantial record in healthcare leadership and national policy work. She currently serves as chair of Whittington Health NHS Trust and as joint chair of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with her terms of office in both positions due to end in September. Earlier in her career, she was chief executive of the King's Fund and had previously chaired the Camden and Islington Community NHS Trust. She has also held leading roles in major national healthcare reviews, including examinations of the Liverpool Care Pathway and the Mental Health Act.

Baroness Neuberger takes over the CQC chairmanship from Kay Boycott, who has served as interim chair and a non-executive director at the regulator. Boycott had previously said she was committed to ensuring the CQC continues to protect people and support services to improve, while encouraging closer collaborative working across the health and social care sector.

Baroness Neuberger's appointment comes at a period in which the CQC has faced scrutiny over its inspection processes and organisational performance, and her selection reflects an effort by government to bring experienced healthcare leadership to the regulator as it continues its work overseeing hospitals, care homes, GP surgeries and social care providers across England.

Her appointment also follows closely behind the recruitment of Emily Miles as the CQC's new Chief Executive, a process in which Baroness Neuberger, in her capacity as the government's preferred candidate for chair, was directly involved alongside the CQC's non-executive board members and representatives of stakeholder bodies and other regulators.

With the committee's endorsement now formally in place, Baroness Neuberger is set to take up her position as Chair of the CQC in the coming weeks, stepping down from her hospital trust roles as she transitions into the regulatory post. Her appointment marks a significant leadership change for an organisation tasked with maintaining standards across one of the largest and most complex regulatory remits in English public life.

‍