CQC head gets select committee grilling

Head of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Dame Jo William received a grilling at a Health Select Committee hearing at the end of June where, despite continued criticism from the sector regarding a slump in inspection visits and serious concerns raised in respect of its treatment of whistleblowers, she told ministers that the commission has made a request to the Department of Health (DH) for a 10% increase to its budget. Having made clear that the commission would face questions over its operations when Dame Jo was appointed head last autumn (CCMN October 2010), a Select Committee hearing chaired by Conservative minister Stephen Dorrell asked a series of questions as part of a review of the organisation’s systems and priorities.