Sir Robert Francis QC has resigned as chair of Healthwatch England and will leave the post in November - 20 months early.

In his letter of resignation to the health and social care secretary of state Sajid Javid, Francis said he fully supported the CQC’s transformation programme but highlighted the ‘alarming decline’ in resources available to Healthwatch.

Francis, who joined Healthwatch in October 2018, has a background in medical law and previously chaired inquiries into care provided by Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust and the Freedom to Speak Up Review into the treatment of NHS staff who raise concerns.

Last year Healthwatch services supported more than two million people to share their experiences of care or access the advice they needed. As well as overseeing a rise in the number of people supported by Healthwatch, Francis has highlighted issues in hospital, GP, social care and mental health services to government and NHS leaders to help improve standards of care.

Francis  said: "People who use services must be central to NHS and social care decision-making.

"Their voice is crucial to understanding what works and how services can be better. Greater attention to listening and acting on public feedback has led to real improvements in policy and practice.

"However, the health and social care system continues to face challenges in meeting demand and in maintaining safety and quality. So listening to people who use services and providing the resources to enable this to happen are ever more important. Not only will this help to prevent tragic failures in care occurring, but it will also result in better support and lives for many people in England."

CQC chair Ian Dilks said: "Having just become chair of CQC, I am disappointed that our time working together will be brief. However, I am pleased that Sir Robert has agreed to remain in post until November, giving the board the opportunity to benefit from his experience and insight for some months to come.’

Sir Robert will stay as Chair of Healthwatch England and as a member of the CQC board until mid November 2022. The Department of Health and Social Care will carry out the recruitment for his replacement.