She told the CQC board and Andy Burnham, the Health Secretary, about her decision on November 26, the day a controversial report was leaked about poor standards at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals Foundation Trust.

 

The report by the CQC, the independent regulator of health and social care in England, found that hundreds of people had died needlessly due to appalling standards of care.

 

It is understood that Baroness Young, who sits as a cross-bencher in the House of Lords, had a "difficult" meeting with Mr Burnham after it became public. However, CQC sources deny this is the reason for her departure.

 

She said: ''Having overseen the major task of creating a single regulator for health and social care and pointed it in the right direction, I have decided that it will be for others to take it forward.

 

''I wish all success to the Commission and its staff and to Dame Jo Williams who has agreed to act as chairman until a successor is appointed. Jo will start to take up the reins in January.''

 

CQC chief executive Cynthia Bower said: "Barbara joined CQC in May 2008 and her strong leadership has seen us successfully through the transition from three predecessor organisations. She has put CQC on the map as the regulator of health and social care and will be a tough act to follow. We wish her all the best in the next stage of her career."

 

Baroness Young will stand down on February 1 next year.  Dame Jo Williams, who will take charge until a successor is found, was chief executive of the charity Mencap for six years before joining CQC.

She said: "CQC's board were sad to hear that Barbara has decided to move on, both on a professional and personal level. Barbara has played a major role in forging CQC's strategy for the next five years.

"The board is fully signed up to take this strategy forward and our focus now is building on the momentum we have and delivering our important work on registration."

 

Hugh Taylor, permanent secretary at the Department of Health, said: "Baroness Young has made a valuable contribution in leading the Care Quality Commission through their challenging first few months.  "This has been a mammoth task, bringing together for the first time the two health and social care regulators and setting them on a path to ensuring high quality and safe care everywhere that care is provided, from hospitals to private care homes. I wish her well for the future."