New chief inspector appointed

Commission for Social Care Inspection director of inspection, regulation and review Paul Snell has been appointed today as its new chief inspector.

He will succeed David Behan when the current chief inspector becomes director general for social care at the Department of Health, a position he is likely to assume by September.

Snell, who was social services director at Nottingham Council before joining CSCI, will lead the inspectorate through a period of massive change.

It will cede its children’s function to an enlarged Ofsted next year, and in 2008 its adult function will merge with the Healthcare Commission to create a new health and social care inspectorate.

In the meantime, CSCI will fully implement significant reforms to the regulation of adult care, including star ratings for providers, and reform the system for performance rating councils in line with the health and social care white paper.