New report highlights CQC’s failure over Morecambe Bay

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has issued a profuse apology to the general public following the publication of a report highlighting its poor oversight of the University Hospitals Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

Analysis from Grant Thornton that was commissioned by the CQC itself stated that the regulator was slow to identify and take action over slipping care standards at Morecambe Bay and that it provided false assurances as a result.

These misdemeanours were attributed to an unacceptable leadership culture that had become increasingly "defensive, reactive and insular", with the Grant Thornton report going as far as to say the CQC may have been guilty of covering up evidence.

David Prior, chair of the CQC, said: "The report confirms our view that at a senior level the organisation was dysfunctional. The board and the senior executive team have been radically changed."

In the wake of this report, health secretary Jeremy Hunt has pledged to uncover the "whole truth" over the incident, to ensure those responsible are held to account.