The Care Quality Commission's (CQC) chief inspector of hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, will retire this summer, he has announced. He will remain in post until a successor is appointed, with the recruitment process due to begin soon.

Sir Mike (pictured) became the first person to hold the role in July 2013, and led the development and roll out of a new approach to hospital inspection.

With the first round of inspections now completed for all NHS trusts, and the final independent hospital inspections to be completed shortly, Sir Mike said that it felt like “the right time to hand the baton on to someone else”.

Sir David Behan, chief executive of CQC praised the “wisdom, commitment, vision and leadership” Sir Mike brought to the role, and described the “strong position” that he leaves the organisation in. 

UK health secretary Jeremy Hunt compared Sir Mike’s “transformative” work in raising standards in hospitals to that of Chris Woodhead (the former head of the Ofsted schools inspectorate) in education. He said: “His years of clinical experience combined with his wise judgement have been absolutely vital in helping to make the NHS one of most patient-focused and transparent healthcare systems in the world with a total focus on safety and quality. Thousands of patients benefit every day from the higher standards that have resulted from his influence. We will miss him greatly.”

A hospital physician for more than 20 years, Sir Mike was a consultant medical oncologist between 1986 and 1995. He then served as professor of palliative medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals until 1999 when he was appointed the first national cancer director at the Department of Health.

Sir Mike led the development and implementation of the NHS Cancer Plan in 2000, the Cancer Reform Strategy in 2008 and Improving Outcomes: A strategy for cancer in 2011. In 2012, he was appointed director for reducing premature mortality on the then-NHS Commissioning Board (now NHS England). He was awarded a CBE in 2001 and became a Knight Bachelor in 2010.

Sir Mike commented:  “My retirement this summer will coincide with having been chief inspector of hospitals at CQC for four years, and a qualified doctor for 40 years.  I am incredibly lucky to have had such a long and varied career and I am particularly proud of having led the team who developed and implemented a new approach to hospital inspections – one focused on what matters to people.”