CQC chief Julian Hartley resigns amid maternity inquiry

The resignation of Sir Julian Hartley, Chief Executive of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), has sent shockwaves through England’s health and social care landscape. His decision comes in the wake of an independent inquiry into maternity services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT), the very organisation he led for a decade until 2023.

Additionally, Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced the inquiry after a BBC investigation revealed that at least 56 babies and two mothers may have died preventably over the past five years. The findings prompted widespread public concern and renewed scrutiny of maternity safety across the NHS.

Sir Julian explained that leaving his post was “an incredibly difficult decision” but one he felt was necessary. He said:

“My role has become incompatible with the important conversations happening about care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which includes the time I was chief executive there.”

He added:

“I recognise that my continued presence may undermine trust and confidence in the regulator, and that is something I cannot allow.”

In a further statement reported by national outlets, Sir Julian expressed his regret to affected families:

“I am so sorry for the fact that some families suffered harm and loss during this time.”

In this blog, Dr Richard Dune explores what this resignation means for leadership, accountability, and the culture of transparency across the health and social care sector.

The government’s response

Health Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed that recruitment for Sir Julian’s successor would begin immediately. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Mr Streeting stated:

“I listened to families in Leeds last week about the sort of person they would want.”

He continued:

“We’ve also got the Leeds inquiry up and running because I was persuaded by families and by the data that the trust is such an outlier, and it’s one of the largest trusts in Europe that we had to look specifically at failures there.”

When questioned about who would lead the investigation, Mr Streeting ruled out senior midwife Donna Ockenden, explaining that she is already overseeing maternity reviews in Nottingham, Shrewsbury and Telford.

“If I could clone her, I would,” he said. “But I’ve also got to build a wider team of people, too.”

Mr Streeting also placed the Leeds review within a broader national effort to reform maternity care. He explained:

“We’re going as quickly as we can. There are 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. 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.”

Why this matters for regulated organisations

Recent events highlight why strong leadership, governance, and training are vital for all regulated organisations:

1. Regulator credibility is under the microscope

Sir Julian’s resignation underscores how vital public confidence is to effective regulation. When the leader of a national watchdog steps aside to avoid perceived bias, it reflects a growing expectation for transparency, independence and accountability in oversight.

His admission that his presence “may undermine trust and confidence” within the CQC highlights the delicate balance regulators must maintain between authority and impartiality.

2. Maternity failures reflect a systemic issue

The Leeds inquiry is not an isolated case. It follows previous maternity investigations at Shrewsbury and Telford, East Kent, and Nottingham, exposing recurring themes: under-staffing, poor communication, inadequate escalation and cultural barriers to learning.

For care providers, the message is clear: robust governance and a culture of openness are essential. As Mr Streeting noted, “I feel this enormous pressure on my shoulders to make sure that I’m doing everything I can, as fast as I can, to improve the quality of maternity services.”

3. Training, governance and transparency must work together

Failures in care are rarely due to a single point of error. They emerge from weak systems, inadequate training, and inconsistent governance. The current inquiry should therefore serve as a sector-wide reminder: leadership alone cannot prevent harm without a well-trained, empowered, and accountable workforce.

Organisations must ensure that training programmes are not treated as compliance tick-boxes, but as living frameworks for continuous improvement underpinned by clear escalation procedures, reflective supervision, and evidence-based practice.

Lessons for health and social care leaders

The following key lessons remind health and social care leaders that lasting improvement depends on culture, accountability, and continuous learning:

• Culture over compliance - Sir Julian’s remarks point to the importance of psychological safety and openness. A strong culture of learning and accountability must underpin every service

• Transparency is non-negotiable - Families affected by care failings said they felt “gaslit, dismissed and even blamed for what went wrong.” This reinforces the need for honest engagement, early disclosure, and a clear duty of candour

• Leadership accountability - The resignation of a national regulator should prompt providers to review their own governance frameworks. Are board members equipped and empowered to identify early warning signs?

• Integrated systems prevent fragmentation - With growing scrutiny, fragmented spreadsheets and training records are no longer viable. Integrated compliance and learning systems help providers monitor performance, manage risks, and maintain inspection readiness

• Continuous learning matters - As Mr Streeting highlighted, “10,000 babies are born every week”, meaning risk management, reflection and refresher training cannot be episodic; they must be embedded into daily operations.

The wider implications

This resignation signals more than a leadership transition. It represents a moment of reckoning for the culture of accountability within health and social care. When the leader of England’s top regulator steps aside to protect public confidence, every organisation under its remit must take stock.

Providers should expect more intensive scrutiny, more frequent data-driven reviews, and greater emphasis on leadership accountability. Regulatory change is accelerating, and providers must ensure that their systems, from training to documentation, stand up to external examination.

The Leeds inquiry, now part of a broader national maternity improvement programme led by Baroness Valerie Amos, demonstrates a government-wide shift toward proactive investigation and systemic reform. For regulated providers, this means one thing: prepare now, not later.

In summary

Sir Julian Hartley’s resignation from the CQC amid the Leeds maternity inquiry is both a personal decision and a defining moment for health and social care regulation. His acknowledgement that his role had become “incompatible” with the national conversation on maternity care is a reminder that accountability, culture, and leadership are inseparable in delivering safe care.

As the sector faces renewed scrutiny, organisations must reflect on their internal culture, workforce competence, and governance frameworks, ensuring that safety, learning, and transparency are not aspirational ideals but everyday practices.

About The Mandatory Training Group

The Mandatory Training Group helps health, social care, education and public-service organisations strengthen compliance, governance and training systems through accredited blended learning and integrated technology.

Our flagship platform, ComplyPlus™, brings together learning management system (LMS) and training management system (TMS) capabilities into one seamless solution, helping providers track training, evidence compliance, and stay inspection-ready.

Reference

Newton, S. (2025) - CQC chief executive steps down amid maternity inquiry at NHS trust he used to run.