Sunday Times columnist Camilla Cavendish has stepped down from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) board.

It follows her appointment as head of the policy unit at 10 Downing Street, announced at the end of May.

Cavendish also stepped down from her role as associate editor and columnist at the Sunday Times, a role she had held since May 2013.

CQC chief executive David Behan said: “We are sorry to be losing her [Camilla] from the [CQC] board. She has brought a sharp intellectual challenge to the work of CQC.

She has made a significant contribution to CQC’s development and new direction. She will be missed and we wish her well in her new role.”