Ex-CQC officials launch consultancy

Press Association – 

Two former officials at a scandal-hit NHS watchdog have launched a consultancy firm which offers reputation advice to businesses.

Cynthia Bower, the former chief executive of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and Jill Finney, her former deputy, have teamed up to launch a firm which helps organisations "handle political and public challenge".

Last year an independent report concluded that there was "persuasive evidence" that senior CQC officials ordered a damning internal review to be deleted. The internal review highlighted the CQC's failure to investigate a spate of baby deaths at Furness General Hospital in Cumbria.

An independent investigation into the incident , conducted by management consultants Grant Thornton, implied that Ms Bower, Ms Finney and media manager Anna Jefferson had backed the suppression of the internal review.

All three women strenuously denied the allegation.

Both Ms Bower and Ms Finney had left the CQC before the Grant Thornton report was published. They have now launched a consultancy firm with a third woman which helps organisations to " understand (their) reputation in the broader environment, anticipate risk to (their) reputation and handle political and public challenge proactively and confidently".

In a joint statement the pair said: " The Grace Partnership is a consultancy, which comprises of three directors with enormous expertise and experience in handling business and individual challenge, conflict and reputation.

"This level of expertise can be used to encourage organisations in the private, not-for-profit and public sectors to be confident, transparent, publicly accountable and to secure fair representation. Indeed, it is a service that we would have greatly appreciated during the difficult periods that we all faced in our own careers.

"We have publicly and robustly defended our individual positions at every opportunity. We wish to be very clear that any suggestion that we have been deliberately involved in 'cover-ups, bullying of staff who tried to raise concerns and of failing to raise the alarm over a number of scandals' is without foundation and defamatory."

Ms Finney added: " I have never been involved in any cover up. I confirm that the allegations made against me in the report published by the CQC have, at all times, been strenuously denied and are currently the subject of proceedings for defamation in the High Court.

"Any suggestion that I have been involved in any cover up or in 'presiding over cover-ups' is entirely without foundation and defamatory of me."

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