New CQC Chair: what Sir Mike Richards means for clinics

What happened

On 1 July 2026, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced Sir Mike Richards as his preferred candidate for the next CQC Chair. Subject to a pre-appointment hearing by the Health and Social Care Select Committee, Sir Mike would succeed current Chair Ian Dilks, whose term is ending. The announcement was made via the CQC's website with a formal statement confirming the next steps.

Sir Mike's career spans decades of healthcare regulation and service design. He was the UK's National Cancer Director (1999–2013), the CQC's first Chief Inspector of Hospitals (2013–2016), and led the 2020–22 Richards Review of diagnostic services — which directly informed the current government's diagnostic strategy. Crucially, he was involved in the early design stages of CQC's new assessment framework, meaning his appointment signals a vote of confidence in the direction of travel rather than a reset.

Who this affects

• Private hospitals and independent healthcare providers — CQC's assessment reform is ongoing, and a Chair who helped design the new framework means continuity in how providers are rated and inspected. Clinics should not expect a pause or pivot in the reform timeline.
• Clinics preparing for the new assessment approach — the CQC's pilot of the new assessment framework runs through October 2026, with evaluation in November. A Richards chairmanship increases the likelihood that the pilot's findings lead directly to roll-out without major structural changes.
• Practitioners and compliance teams — Sir Mike's background in cancer care and diagnostic services suggests a Chair who will prioritise clinical outcomes and service quality over process compliance. Teams should prepare for a regulatory environment that values evidence of patient outcomes as much as paperwork.

What it means

This is not a change of direction — it's a continuity appointment with deep institutional memory. Sir Mike knows CQC from the inside (he built the Chief Inspector model), has already contributed to the new assessment framework's design, and has the government's backing. For private clinics, the practical implication is: the current reform trajectory has a steady hand at the top. The pilot programme should complete on schedule, and the roll-out of the new approach — with its emphasis on quality statements, evidence-based assessment, and a single assessment framework — will proceed as planned. The main risk for clinics is underestimating the shift: the new framework demands different preparation than the old one, and continuity at Chair level means there will be no last-minute reprieve.

What to watch next

The pre-appointment hearing before the Health and Social Care Select Committee is the next milestone. While these hearings rarely block appointments, the committee's questions will signal MPs' priorities for CQC oversight. Beyond that, the November 2026 evaluation of the new assessment framework pilot is the key date — it will determine whether the new approach rolls out across all providers in 2027. CheckMyClinic will track the hearing date and report on any signals relevant to private clinic providers.