Dr Arun Chopra Assumes Role of Interim Chief Executive of CQC
Following the announcement by Sir Julian Hartley that he would be stepping down as Chief Executive of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) with immediate effect Dr Arun Chopra has taken on the role of Interim Chief Executive until a permanent successor is appointed.
Arun joined CQC as Chief Inspector of Mental Health in March 2025. Before joining CQC, Arun was Medical Director of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland and has held multiple NHS consultant psychiatrist roles in general adult community and inpatient settings in England, New Zealand, and Scotland.
He is a recipient of the President’s Medal, awarded annually by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to individuals who have made a significant contribution towards improving the lives of people with mental illness.
Dr Arun Chopra, interim chief executive of CQC said: “I understand that Sir Julian’s departure may create some uncertainty for providers and the public. I want to assure people that under our capable chief inspectors and chief digital, data and registration officer we can carry the momentum to become the regulator that people deserve. I will continue the work of ensuring that we are a regulator that listens; to providers, to healthcare workers, to our staff, and to the public.
“As part of this we have launched a consultation on how we regulate and rate providers. We will use the results of this consultation to improve how we assess and rate services so that we can best help providers to provide effective and timely care.
While Arun fulfils the role of Interim Chief Executive, Chris Dzikiti has stepped into the role of Interim Chief Inspector of Mental Health.
Chris is a registered mental health nurse who joined CQC as Director of Mental Health in October 2022. He has more than 20 years’ experience of delivering, commissioning, and transforming healthcare services.
In the role of Interim Chief Inspector of Mental Health, Chris will be leading on the future implementation of the Mental Health Bill and will be working closely with Arun as CQC continues to carry out its Mental Health Act duties. He will also be temporarily representing CQC as a member on the National Preventative Mechanism (NPM) Steering Group. CQC is the designated NPM for deprivation of liberty in health and social care across England.
Chris Dzikiti, Interim Chief Inspector of Mental Health said: “I’m pleased to step into this role at this especially important time in mental health policy and CQC’s own improvement journey. Our focus will remain sharply on the Mental Health Bill and how it affects people using mental health services. At the same time, we will also be developing our approach to regulation so that it works best for people who use services.
“As we pointed out in our State of Care report in October, people are not getting the support they need, especially children and young people, and racially minoritised people. When this happens, they can end up in crisis, and we have seen that the number of urgent and very urgent referrals to mental health crisis services has risen steeply over the last year.
“I’m proud of the work we’re doing to highlight the barriers to timely and effective care, and to drive change. You can read some more of our latest findings in State of Care and in our work on Black men’s mental health.”
