Merging watchdog into CQC will ‘destroy’ independence

The influential MP who first proposed setting up a safety investigations watchdog for the NHS has warned health and social care secretary Wes Streeting that merging the body into the Care Quality Commission would be “fundamentally wrong”.

Sir Bernard Jenkin, who says he has cross-party support from senior MPs and royal colleges on this, said the move would “destroy” confidence in the independence of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB).

The long-standing MP and former committee chair delivered a highly critical verdict on the review by NHS England chair Penny Dash that proposed the merger – which he told HSJ “gets some things really badly wrong”.

Sir Bernard told HSJ  that Dr Dash’s review highlighted many problems in the management of healthcare safety systems, but also “reveals a profound misunderstanding of safety system management and of the role of HSSIB”.

He added: “It should remain an independent statutory body precisely because there must be a distinction between learning and regulatory enforcement.

“Dash says that HSSIB has expanded its scope beyond what was intended. That is completely wrong. Dash says it’s meant to look at incidents of ‘severe harm’, not whole system investigations. That is completely wrong.

“The remit of HSSIB is set out in the [Health and Care Act 2022], and it is doing precisely what the Air Accidents Investigation Branch would do in aviation or the Rail Accidents Investigation Branch would do in rail – making systemic recommendations from systemic investigations, and that is precisely why it is so effective.”

Read full story (paywalled)

Source: HSJ, 26 February 2026