Can NHS regulation really drive improvement? Sir Mike Richards on the future of CQC

In this episode of Health on the Line, host Matthew Taylor is joined by Professor Sir Mike Richards, chair of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and one of the most influential figures in modern NHS leadership. Sir Mike reflects on his first year as CQC chair, the challenges of rebuilding confidence in regulation, and how inspection and assessment can better support improvement across health and social care. The conversation explores CQC reform, defining what good looks like, regulating across systems rather than silos, and the future of integrated and neighbourhood-based care. Matthew and Sir Mike also discuss early diagnosis and screening, lessons from cancer care, the importance of outcomes and culture, and what it will take for regulation to keep pace with the ambitions of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan. Health on the Line is an NHS Confederation podcast, produced by HealthCommsPlus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Can NHS regulation really drive improvement? Sir Mike Richards on the future of CQC is an episode from Health On The Line by NHS Confederation.

This episode is 26:30 long.

This episode was published on Jan 28, 2026.

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