Chair, Care Quality Commission. NEW ENTRY

A more different successor to former CQC chair Barbara Young could not be found. Dame Jo was appointed interim chair, after Baroness Young resigned spectacularly in January, and formally appointed in September. In that time she oversaw the final stages of a rocky merger of three regulators and the launch of the CQC’s registration system in April.

The CQC escaped the quango cull and has got an important quality inspection role. Dame Jo is seen as someone who quietly gets on with the job but is “steely” behind the scenes. She had a long career in local government and has third sector experience as chief executive of Mencap. As a former president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, she appreciates the need for better integration between health and local government.

She says helping people to live independently at home is a top priority.

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