Jo Williams
{{Short description|British administrator and social worker}}
{{about||the British Olympic speed skater|Jo Williams (speed skater)|the American film and television actress|JoBeth Williams}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Dame
| name = Jo Williams
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| honorific-suffix = DBE, DL
| image =
| image_size =
| smallimage =
| alt =
| caption =
| order =
| office = Chief executive of Mencap
| term_start = 2005
| term_end = 1 November 2008
| alongside =
| monarch =
| president =
| governor_general =
| primeminister =
| taoiseach =
| chancellor =
| governor =
| vicepresident =
| viceprimeminister =
| deputy =
| lieutenant =
| succeeding =
| constituency =
| majority =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| prior_term =
| order2 =
| office2 =
| term_start2 =
| term_end2 =
| alongside2 =
| monarch2 =
| president2 =
| governor_general2 =
| primeminister2 =
| chancellor2 =
| taoiseach2 =
| governor2 =
| vicepresident2 =
| viceprimeminister2 =
| deputy2 =
| lieutenant2 =
| succeeding2 =
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
| constituency2 =
| majority2 =
| prior_term2 =
}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
Dame Josephine Williams {{post-nominals|country=GBR|DBE|DL|sep=,}} (born 8 July 1948) is a British administrator and social worker who was the chief executive of Mencap until 1 November 2008. She chaired the Care Quality Commission between 2010 and 2012.[http://www.cqc.org.uk/about_us/our_people/commissioners.aspx Care Quality Commission - About us - Our people - Commissioners] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081103125826/http://www.cqc.org.uk/about_us/our_people/commissioners.aspx |date=3 November 2008 }}
Career
Jo Dillon was born in Fishpool, Bury, Lancashire. She studied Sociology and Social Studies at Keele University.{{cite web |title=New Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council |url=https://www.keele.ac.uk/sas/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/committees/council/councilmembership/councilmemberbiographies/newpro-chancellorandchairofcouncil |publisher=Keele University |access-date=27 July 2021 |date=2018}} She changed her name to Williams (the name of her partner) whilst working as principal officer for Cheshire Social Services Department in the 1980s. She progressed in seniority to become second in command before being promoted to Director of Social Services in Wigan. She later returned to Cheshire as Director of Social Services.{{Cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmhealth/461/46106.htm|title=House of Commons - Appointment of the Chair of the Care Quality Commission - Health Committee}} She was appointed as chief executive of Mencap in 2005 and remained in post until 2008.{{cite news |title=Mencap's Jo Williams tops list of social care's most influential people |url=https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2005/02/03/mencaps-jo-williams-tops-list-of-social-cares-most-influential-people |access-date=27 July 2021 |work=Community Care |date=3 February 2005}}
Williams was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2007 New Year Honours for "services to people with learning disabilities".{{cite news|url=http://society.guardian.co.uk/voluntary/story/0,,1979992,00.html|newspaper=The Guardian|date=2006-12-30|accessdate=2008-11-17|title=New Year honours in the voluntary and public sectors}}
An article in The Independent accused Williams of using her authority as head of the CQC to carry out a campaign to smear fellow board member and whistle-blower Kay Sheldon, including commissioning a taxpayer funded psychiatric evaluation of Sheldon.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/exclusive-nhs-watchdog-claimed-that-whistleblower-kay-sheldon-was-mentally-ill-8046640.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220609/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/exclusive-nhs-watchdog-claimed-that-whistleblower-kay-sheldon-was-mentally-ill-8046640.html |archive-date=9 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|newspaper=The Independent|date=2012-08-15|accessdate=2012-08-15|title=NHS watchdog claimed that whistleblower Kay Sheldon was 'mentally ill' }}
On 7 September 2012, Dame Jo Williams announced her resignation as Chair of CQC.{{cite news | url=http://www.cqc.org.uk/public/news/dame-jo-williams-announces-her-resignation-chair-cqc | title=Dame Jo Williams announces her resignation as Chair of CQC | date=7 September 2012 | publisher=Care Quality Commission | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915150134/http://www.cqc.org.uk/public/news/dame-jo-williams-announces-her-resignation-chair-cqc | archivedate=15 September 2012 }}
The CQC chair was forced to apologise to MPs after she reiterated her allegations about Sheldon before a Health Select Committee reviewing CQC accountability.{{cite news | date=2012-09-12 | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/former-care-chief-sorry-for-attack-on-whistleblower-8126148.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220609/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/former-care-chief-sorry-for-attack-on-whistleblower-8126148.html |archive-date=9 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title=Former care chief 'sorry' for attack on whistleblower | accessdate=2012-09-12 | newspaper=The Independent}}
In May 2014 it was announced that Williams had been appointed as Independent Chair of the East Cheshire Caring Together Executive Board. However, the move was criticised by local councillors at the Cheshire East Council meeting on 14 May after they learned that the council's Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee had not been notified of the appointment.Cara Cunningham, [http://www.knutsfordguardian.co.uk/news/11230915.Row_over_health_body_appointment/l "Controversial U turn made on appointment of Dame Jo Williams"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714202318/http://www.knutsfordguardian.co.uk/news/11230915.Row_over_health_body_appointment/l/ |date=14 July 2014 }}, Knutsford Guardian, 22 May 2014 On 15 May, Caring Together announced that Dame Williams and the Caring Together Executive Board had jointly decided that she would not be taking up the role."Board Stiffs", Private Eye No. 1367, 30 May – 12 June 2014, p. 31
Williams became Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council at Keele University in 2018. She was appointed Chair of the Alder Hey Children's Hospital Trust Board in February 2019.{{cite news |title=Disgraced CQC chief Dame Jo Williams given top job at children's hospital |url=https://www.thetimes.com/edition/news/disgraced-cqc-chief-dame-jo-williams-given-top-job-at-children-s-hospital-t0mkpwbqv |access-date=2 February 2019 |newspaper=Times |date=2 February 2019}}