THE chief executive of England’s hospital regulator resigned yesterday following the launch of an independent inquiry into maternity care at the NHS trust he led for a decade.

Sir Julian Hartley said his position at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) “may undermine trust and confidence” in the regulator. 

He led Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust from 2013 to 2023.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced the inquiry after a BBC investigation revealed that the deaths of at least 56 babies and two mothers over the past five years may have been preventable. 

Parents said they felt gaslit, dismissed and blamed for what went wrong.

Sir Julian called his resignation an “incredibly difficult decision,” adding that he did not want his connection to the trust to affect the CQC’s work.

CQC chairman Professor Sir Mike Richards said his departure was a “huge loss” but an “unselfish decision.”

Recruitment for Sir Julian’s successor will begin shortly. 

Mr Streeting said he is drawing up a list of potential leaders for the Leeds inquiry, which families have urged to be led by senior midwife Donna Ockenden.