Care Quality Commission (CQC) director of strategy and intelligence Paul Bate is to leave the regulator for digital health company babylon.

Bate will be in charge of NHS work at babylon, which was set up by Circle Health founder Ali Parsa.

The move is a significant one for the healthcare IT firm, with Bate having been instrumental in the overhaul of health and social care regulation following the Francis Report of 2013.

Bate also recently led on the CQC’s five-year strategy for 2016-21, in which it pledged to “learn alongside providers who offer new care models or use new technologies” and to “develop a shared data set with partners, other regulators and commissioners” among other promises.

Parsa’s babylon has a contract in place with the NHS for services at the Highlands Surgery in London and the Eastwood Group Practice in Essex and plans to develop this side of the business further.

Bate said: “I’m very excited by the opportunity to lead the NHS work for the digital health company babylon – babylon brings clinicians, mobile technology and artificial intelligence together to deliver great healthcare to patients in the NHS and across the world.”