Britain's care watchdog said it had “not always delivered its role effectively” in the first public admission of widespread failings.

       Sir Julian Hartley, boss of the Care Quality Commission, said the regulator had failed families it was set up to serve.

       In what amounts to an apology for historic failings, the care chief promised to rebuild shattered public trust in an organisation branded “unfit for purpose”.

       His extraordinary assessment vindicates campaigners who have long branded the quango toothless and ineffective.

       Sir Julian said: “Our role is to ensure services are safe, effective, and compassionate, and the people who rely on these services – sometimes at the most challenging times in their lives – get good care. In recent years, we have not always delivered that role effectively. We need to do much better to be the strong, effective regulator people who use adult social care services need and deserve.”

       Sir Julian, appointed to the ￡285,000-a-year role to clear up a catalogue of disasters, promised to listen to despairing families of those languishing in failing care homes and hospitals.

       An unusable IT system has led to a backlog of 5,000 safeguarding issues including “major issues of concern” flagged by care staff and concerned families while some care homes have not been inspected for years. It means families, some of whom pay upwards of ￡1,500 a week, have no idea of the standard of care loved ones are receiving.

       Latest figures show there are 14,516 registered care homes yet only 13,844 are currently rated.

       Data unearthed by this newspaper shows 143 are inadequate, 2,472 requires improvement, 10,634 good and 595 outstanding.

       It means some 672 care homes under the jurisdiction of the CQC are without a rating.

       Praising this newspaper’s dogged determination to shine a light on the appalling state of social care and the chaos families are forced to navigate Sir Julian, 57, former chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “The Express has been an insistent voice in calling for improvement in social care, which is why I’m committing to readers now that we will do better as a regulator, so we can help services provide better care. This won’t happen overnight. But while there is too much poor care out there, there are also many services delivering kind, compassionate, outstanding care – and we want to help make that the reality for everyone.”

       At the height of the Covid crisis furious families accused the CQC of sitting on its hands while the helpless and vulnerable suffered.

       In a blistering attack the Relatives & Residents Association said the quango had “retreated to the sidelines” at a time it was needed most.

       In 2021 it said: “Over the past fourteen months we have all borne witness to a human rights crisis unfolding in care. Isolation and other restrictions have infringed people’s rights to liberty, family life and wellbeing. CQC’s lack of action has continued to leave older people in care at risk. They have been neglected by the very system designed to protect their rights.

       “CQC’s lack of voice and leadership have left the sector even more vulnerable and resulted in a further lack of trust in your authority. CQC’s failure to adapt to this changing world has left care users and their families feeling bereft of the protection and scrutiny specifically designed by Parliament to protect them.”

       The CQC - an executive arm of the Department of Health and Social Care - was set up in 2009 to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England.

       Last month Sir Julian was censured at the Health and Social Care Committee when he told how an unusable IT system had created a backlog of 5,000 safeguarding issues.

       The revelation prompted Lib Dem Chair Layla Moran to say: “We were shocked to hear how bad things have got at the CQC. It is not acceptable that concerns being flagged to the regulator are going months without a response.”

       The quality of care is now so bad actress and campaigner Ruthie Henshall said she would rather be dead than dumped in a home.

       I’m a Celebrity star watched as her mother died helpless and alone inside a failing facility and is now a vociferous advocate for better standards.

       Actress Ruthie, 57, was banned from hugging or holding former teacher Gloria who battled Parkinson’s and dementia before her death aged 87 in 2021.

       She told the Express: “I have already asked my sister, ‘please take me out’. If I have dementia, and I have any capacity, there is no way I am going into a care home because there is no way I am giving that burden to my children. What I witnessed and what went through with mum was so horrific.”

       Gloria’s Law would give everyone a legal right to a care supporter, a close friend or relative, available in all health and care settings to provide emotional support, advocacy, and essential human contact when needed. The appeal has so far been ignored by ministers, both of the previous and current government, but the need remains as urgent as ever.

       Mum-of-two Ruthie said: “The appalling thing is absolutely no one took stock of just how bad things were or addressed some of the things that were going on. They still haven’t and they are still going on. There are still people who are not allowed in care homes and the problem very much hasn’t gone away. That is why we need Gloria’s Law.

       “And what people don’t realise is it could be you, it could be me, waking up in one of these sub-par care homes not being allowed to see loved ones. How is that going to feel?

       “It hasn’t got anything to do with Covid. The pandemic just highlighted it and gave them [providers] control and power to exercise when they felt like it.”

       Sir Julian said: “We want people to share information with us so we can use it to monitor services and to take action if we need to. Other organisations rather than us are responsible for handling individual complaints, but when people share concerns, they should expect a proper response, and to know when we have passed on urgent safeguarding alerts to the relevant local organisation for action. I want people to be confident that when they share concerns they’re acted on appropriately – but I recognise that we’ll need to work hard to regain people’s trust.”