Care Quality Commission (CQC) chair David Prior has been appointed parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department of Health.

Prior has taken up the post with immediate effect and has stood down as chair of the CQC.  

Commenting on his new role, Prior said: “I am enormously excited about this new appointment. However it is a bitter-sweet moment for me because I have loved working at CQC for the last two and a half years.  It has been a great privilege to work with so many talented staff who are committed to improving the lives of people who use health and care services.  I believe that the new regulatory model we have developed will not just identify poor care, but also stimulate and encourage services to improve.”