CQC chief faces ‘inherent conflict’

The chief executive of the Care Quality Commission is set to become responsible for deciding whether to remove “safe space” protection from whistleblowers’ information, which a former health minister has called an “inherent conflict”.

Safety minister Preet Kaur Gill chaired a Commons Health Bill committee debate last week in which MPs discussed the Healthcare Services Safety Investigations Body’s (HSSIB) absorption into the CQC.

High-profile concerns have emerged about the move, first proposed in Penny Dash’s 2025 review of patient safety organisations, especially how the organisation’s “safe space” protection, which prevents certain whistleblower information from being disclosed to providers, will be safeguarded.

Other parts of the CQC may be legally required to identify the information for its regulation purposes, it has previously warned.

Now Ms Gill, in response to MP questions on how the CQC will provide confidence that the safe space will not be compromised when HSSIB becomes part of the watchdog, said it will be for the regulator to appoint a responsible person.

This individual will decide whether a particular case matches “a high bar” of criteria set out in the bill, she said.

The minister added: “As the bill sets out, the CQC will appoint a responsible person who will decide whether the case matches the criteria and whether it warrants information sharing outside the safe space.

“That person is likely to be the CQC’s chief executive officer.”

In response to her comments, former Conservative health minister Edward Argar warned: “That is an inherent conflict. If the person who is the head of the regulatory body is making the decision on whether information should be disclosed by HSSIB in its folded-in form, that will do nothing to inspire confidence in disclosure and the safe space provisions.

“I fear that drives a coach and horses through some of the arguments being made that there are sufficient safeguards within this merger to ensure HSSIB can continue as it has done thus far.”

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Source: HSJ, 15 July 2026

Related reading on the hub:

• The future of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body: a recent discussion at the Patient Safety Management Network
• The King’s Speech 2026: Six key takeaways for patient safety (Patient Safety Learning)