Ian Trenholm, chief executive of care inspectorate CQC, will step down from his role at the end of the month.

Kate Terroni, CQC’s deputy chief executive, will be appointed as interim chief executive. The CQC said a permanent appointment will be made in due course.

“During my six years leading CQC, we have made important changes to the way we work in order to help improve care and keep people safe,” said Trenholm, who will also step down as board member. “We are now in the final stages of delivering an ambitious transformation programme – this month saw the delivery of the last big milestone in a complex and challenging programme of work.”

He added: “While there will always be more work to do, the conclusion of this stage of the transformation feels like a good time to move on. It has been a privilege to work with such a passionate, committed and talented group of colleagues.

“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together, and I am confident that the organisation will continue to evolve to help support the health and care system to provide good, safe care for people.”

Ian Dilks, chair of CQC, said: “The board would like to thank Ian for his contribution to CQC over many years and for leading us towards our ambition of being a smarter and better regulator. I and my board colleagues look forward to supporting and working with Kate in the further development of CQC.”

Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: “Care England has collaborated closely with Ian over the past few months to effectively advocate for our members’ concerns regarding the CQC’s new single assessment framework. While ours and the CQC’s collective goal remains ensuring that high-quality care, support and information are provided to people who use health and social care services, the sentiment within the sector reflects significant apprehension and unease regarding the challenges posed by the new framework.

“The recent initiation of a review of the CQC inspection regime by ministers marks a crucial first step towards progress. However, for there to be meaningful change, there needs to be urgent decisive action from the next chief executive.

“We look forward to engaging productively with the incoming chief executive at the CQC, continuing these dialogues to accurately represent the experiences and perspectives of care providers across the country. Their first priority should be to promptly review the Single Assessment Framework and collaborate with the sector to develop an improved system that has balanced reliance on current and relevant data, transparency in regulatory approach and consistency and uniformity in assessments. We strongly reiterate our dedication to this goal and will support the new chief executive in delivering on this right from the outset.”