Dr Toli OnonRegulator

Biography

Dr Toli Onon (BSc MD FRCOG) joined the Care Quality Commission as Chief Inspector of Hospitals in September 2025, leading the CQC's regulation of secondary and specialist care as part of a restructure that realigned the regulator around four sector-specific inspectorates. She is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who spent nearly 35 years in the NHS hospitals sector, including roles as Joint Chief Medical Officer and Responsible Officer at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust from 2017, and as Medical Director of the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS FT before its merger with Central Manchester NHS FT. During her clinical training she undertook research in cancer immunology at the Paterson Institute, Manchester. In her public statements she has argued that hospital patients deserve safe, dignified care in appropriate environments, and that high-quality regulation driving continuous improvement is essential to give the public confidence in NHS services.

References

1. 1.CQC appoints Dr Toli Onon as Chief Inspector of Hospitals – Care Quality Commission — Appointment announcement, qualifications (BSc MD FRCOG), prior role at MFT, 35-year NHS career, patient safety responsibilities, and CQC restructure context
2. 2.Dr Toli Onon – Care Quality Commission executive team page — Current role title, start date (September 2025), and continued clinical work at Saint Mary's Hospital
3. 3.Dr Toli Onon – Chief Inspector of Hospitals | HFMA — Joint CMO role at MFT held since 2017; appointment as Consultant at University Hospital of South Manchester in 2003; last Medical Director before MFT merger; cancer immunology research at the Paterson Institute
4. 4.Toli Onon – NHS ConfedExpo 2025 — Confirms MFT Joint CMO role from 2017, 2003 Consultant appointment, Medical Director of University Hospital of South Manchester before merger with Central Manchester NHS FT
5. 5.New guidance for inspectors on care in non-clinical spaces – CQC Official Press Release

Expertise

Cited on

• Hospital discharge / bed-blocking

Stated areas of expertise

• Hospital and acute care regulation
• Patient safety and quality improvement
• Medical workforce governance
• Obstetrics and gynaecology
• NHS secondary care

Notable achievements

• Appointed as the CQC's Chief Inspector of Hospitals in September 2025, becoming one of four sector-specialist Chief Inspectors created as part of the regulator's structural realignment. Source ↗
• Served as Joint Chief Medical Officer and Responsible Officer at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust from 2017, overseeing quality, patient safety, and professional regulation of 2,800 medical and dental staff. Source ↗
• Became the last Medical Director of the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS FT before its merger with Central Manchester NHS FT, having been appointed Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist there in 2003. Source ↗
• Published new CQC guidance for inspectors on the provision of care in non-clinical spaces (e.g. hospital corridors), with Dr Onon stating that patients deserve safe, dignified care environments. Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “Patients should receive safe and effective care in an environment that allows for their privacy and dignity to be protected. Corridor care must not become normalised – however, these survey results demonstrate that in some cases the short-term use of temporary escalation spaces to relieve pressure on the ambulance sector is a regrettable reality.”

  Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Care Quality Commission · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Corridor care ‘new normal’ in England for one in five NHS inpatients ↗

Source references

1. Corridor care ‘new normal’ in England for one in five NHS inpatientstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.cqc.org.uk/about-us/our-executive-team/dr-toli-onon
• Press office emailmedia.team@cqc.org.ukpublished here ↗
• Press office phone020 38 55 46 21published here ↗

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.