Kate Terroni, who was acting as interim chief executive of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), has announced that she will be leaving the organisation.
Terroni took over on an interim basis when Ian Trenholm stepped down as chief executive in June. However, she had been on a leave of absence for several weeks before Julian Hartley was announced as the next permanent chief executive in early October.
James Bullion has been acting as interim chief executive in her absence and will continue to do so until Hartley takes up the post.
Terroni said she had decided not to apply for the permanent position as it required ‘fresh leadership’. She said: ‘It has been a huge privilege to act as interim chief executive, but it has also been an intensely challenging experience, and I needed to take some time away to absorb the impact it has had on me.
‘This led me to think about what comes next – my career has been non-stop for the last 22 years, driven by the desire to make a difference for people who use services, but I now want to take some time to think about what the next 22 years could look like.’
CQC chair Ian Dilks thanked Terroni for her contribution to the regulator. He said: ‘I wish Kate every success for her future career and look forward to seeing what she achieves next.’
‘We’ve lost your trust’
In July, Kate Terroni issued an apology on behalf of the CQC. Her statement said the regulator ‘got things wrong in the implementation of our new regulatory approach’. She described recent changes as ‘not what we promised’, making things ‘more difficult than they should be’.
Some of the issues discussed in the apology include technical problems with the provider portal, delays in registration and changes to communication which left providers feeling ‘unsupported’.
She concluded: ‘I know that, for some of you, we’ve lost your trust because of this. I’m sorry.’
FMC content director Guy Hiscott described the apology as ‘a hugely significant move’. He said: ‘An apology from a regulator is no mean feat – so I applaud Ms Terroni for her honesty and openness.’
Dilks acknowledged this apology in his farewell to Terroni. He said: ‘She took up this last role at a particularly challenging time for the organisation.
‘Her openness in acknowledging that we needed radical improvement – and the plans she started to put in place to make this happen – helped lay foundations for the work we have ahead of us to respond to the Dash review and Sir Mike Richards’ report and to rebuild trust with the public, providers and our staff.’
Terroni will now work with Dilks to plan for the arrival of the new chief executive. He said: ‘Her knowledge of the organisation and commitment to ensuring that we can once again deliver on our core purpose will be invaluable to this work.’
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