CQC chief quits over Leeds maternity deaths scandal

Sir Julian Hartley has stepped down a the CQC (PA) Dominic Lipinski

Sir Julian Hartley has stepped down as chief executive of England's hospital regulator following the announcement of an independent inquiry into maternity care at the NHS trust he previously led. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) chief raised concerns that his position "may undermine trust and confidence" in the regulator.

Hartley served as chief executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for ten years until 2023. He led the trust during the period now under scrutiny for maternity care failures.

Earlier this week, Health Secretary Wes Streeting (Labour) announced an inquiry into the trust after a BBC investigation revealed the deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers over the past five years may have been prevented. The investigation uncovered systematic failures in maternity services at one of Europe's largest hospital trusts.

Parents' response to inquiry

Following the inquiry announcement, affected parents said they felt "gaslit, dismissed and even blamed for what went wrong". Their response highlights the emotional toll on families who lost babies or suffered harm during Hartley's tenure at the trust.

Sir Julian described stepping down as an "incredibly difficult decision" but felt his current post "has become incompatible with the important conversations happening about care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust". He acknowledged the period included his time as chief executive there.

The outgoing chief executive issued an apology, stating: "I am so sorry for the fact that some families suffered harm and loss during this time." He committed to supporting the inquiry, saying: "I will be giving whatever support I can to the inquiry into maternity services at Leeds, so families get the transparency and answers that they need and deserve - and I want to avoid my connection with the trust impacting on CQC's work to rebuild people's confidence in the regulator."

Leadership transition and inquiry plans

Professor Sir Mike Richards, chair of the CQC, acknowledged the departure as "a huge loss to CQC" but understood Hartley's concerns. He praised the decision as "unselfish" and said recruitment for a successor will begin shortly.

Streeting told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour on Thursday that he is "drawing up a potential list" of candidates to lead the Leeds inquiry. He said: "I listened to families in Leeds last week about the sort of person they would want."

Families have called for Donna Ockenden to head the probe, but Streeting confirmed the senior midwife will not be appointed as she is leading work on maternity services in Nottingham, Shrewsbury and Telford. He said: "If I could clone her, I would," explaining the need to protect her existing work whilst building "a wider team of people too".

Broader maternity review context

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is one of 14 trusts included in a rapid maternity investigation led by Baroness Amos, ordered by Streeting last month. He described feeling "enormous pressure" to improve maternity services quickly, praising Amos as "a hugely experienced and respected leader".

Streeting emphasised the urgency of addressing systemic failures, noting that Leeds is "such an outlier" and "one of the largest trusts in Europe". He said: "We're going as quickly as we can. There is improvements taking place every day - 10,000 babies are born every week in this country, and the vast majority are delivered safely, without any problems."

The Health Secretary added: "But I want to end this culture where we accept infant mortality in a way that other advanced economies and health systems simply do not do." His comments reflect wider concerns about maternity care standards across the NHS.

Sources used: "PA Media"