Andrea Sutcliffe, chief inspector of adult social care at the Care Quality Commission (CQC), has been awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List in recognition of her achievements and public service spanning over 30 years.
Sutcliffe says: "I feel incredibly lucky and very grateful to be honoured in this way. Really, it is a tribute to the dedication and commitment of my team and colleagues at CQC who work so hard to improve the quality of life of people using adult social care services, their families and carers. I would like to thank everyone at CQC for making this possible and my husband David, my mum and dad, family and friends for their support, love and understanding.
"Adult social care is a vital but often misunderstood and undervalued service. It has the potential to positively transform people's lives but poor care can have such a devastating impact. My passion and determination to speak up for people's rights, celebrate great care and make a difference so that all services meet the Mum Test remains as necessary and as strong as ever."
Andrea joined CQC in October 2013 where she leads on the regulation and inspection of adult social care services in England, including care homes and domiciliary care. Last year, she led the completion of the initial round of comprehensive inspections of these services which for the first time, led to ratings of 'outstanding', 'good', 'requires improvement' and 'inadequate'.
Also, Andrea is responsible for the registration team supporting all health and care sectors.
In collaboration with many others, Andrea played a key role in the development of Quality Matters; the adult social care sector wide commitment to quality, which launched in July 2017.
Prior to becoming chief inspector of adult social care, Andrea was chief executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and before that, chief executive of the Appointments Commission.
Sir David Behan, chief executive of the Care Quality Commission, says: “I am delighted that Andrea’s contribution to public services and specifically to the quality and safety of adult social care has been recognised by this richly deserved honour. I am proud Andrea works for CQC where her leadership has been exemplary."
