Andrea Sutcliffe, the chief inspector of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), has announced her resignation.

Ms Sutcliffe has been chief inspector of the health watchdog since October 2013 and described the CQC as having ‘achieved a great deal in the last five years.’

During her time at the CQC, Ms Sutcliffe has overseen the registering, monitoring, inspection, and rating of more than 20,000 adult social care services across the UK.

She said: “I am very sad to be leaving CQC after five challenging but very rewarding years.

“Working with colleagues across the organisation, past and present, and in coproduction with the public, providers and our partners we have achieved a great deal in the last five years.”

The CQC website said 399 UK care homes are rated ‘outstanding,’ with 11,968 rated ‘good,’ 2,629 are ‘requires improvement’ and 248 are ‘inadequate.’

“There will always be more to do, but I know that the strong team I work with will continue to drive improvement for people who use services,” Ms Sutcliffe said.

Ms Sutcliffe will take on the role of chief executive and registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in January. Her successor has yet to be found.