The chairman of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is to leave her position next year. Baroness Barbara Young made the decision a couple of weeks ago, to formally stand down on February 1 next year, she told the CQC and Health Secretary Andy Burnham.

The CQC is the independent regulator of health and social care in England, and Dame Jo Williams will take over her position. Ms Young said: "Having overseen the major task of creating a single regulator for health and social care and pointed it in the right direction, I have decided that it will be for others to take it forward. I wish all success to the Commission and its staff and to Dame Jo Williams who has agreed to act as chairman until a successor is appointed. Jo will start to take up the reins in January."

CQC chief executive Cynthia Bower said: "Barbara joined CQC in May 2008 and her strong leadership has seen us successfully through the transition from three predecessor organisations. She has put CQC on the map as the regulator of health and social care and will be a tough act to follow. We wish her all the best in the next stage of her career."

Dame Jo will take charge until a successor is found, and she was previously chief executive of the charity Mencap for six years before joining CQC. She said: "CQC's board were sad to hear that Barbara has decided to move on, both on a professional and personal level. Barbara has played a major role in forging CQC's strategy for the next five years. The board is fully signed up to take this strategy forward and our focus now is building on the momentum we have and delivering our important work on registration."