NEWS FOCUS

England's health and social care watchdog is ‘not fit for purpose, according to the new Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, pledging immediate action to ‘grip the crisis’.

His comments follow an interim report which found that significant failings were hampering the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) ability to identify poor performance at hospitals, care homes and GP practices.

‘When I joined the department, it was already clear that the NHS was broken and the social care system in crisis. But I have been stunned by the extent of the failings of the institution that is supposed to identify and act on failings,’ said Mr Streeting.

‘I know this will be a worrying development for patients and families who rely on CQC assessments when making choices about their care. I want to reassure them that I am determined to grip this crisis and give people the confidence that the care they're receiving has been assessed. This Government will never turn a blind eye to failure.’