Sir Michael Adrian Richards (born July 1951) is a British oncologist. From 1999 to 2013 he was the National Cancer Director in the UK Government's Department of Health.[1] He was Chief Inspector of Hospitals in the Care Quality Commission from May 2013[2] until July 2017, and was said by the Health Service Journal to be the third most powerful person in the English NHS in December 2013.[3]
When interviewed about inspecting hospitals by The Independent in January 2014, he said "We have seen variation. There is variation between the best hospitals we’ve seen and the ones that are struggling… What is interesting is that within an individual hospital there is variation. The maternity service might be very good but the A&E service might require improvement."[9]
In January 2017 he announced that he intended to retire from his role as Chief Inspector of Hospitals in the summer.[8] In April 2022 he took up the role of chair of the UK National Screening Committee.[10]