Mental Health Inspector - South West

Grade B - £42,044 (National) or £47,900 (London - for London office based or home-based workers within the boundary of the M25) – There is also an additional homeworking allowance of £600 per annum for those working from home. Please note for part time roles – this will be pro rata.
Contracted Hours: Full time 37 hours per week. Please talk to us about flexible or compressed hours.
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing date: Thursday 24 September 2026 at 11.59pm

Location:  Homebased - South West

We are currently accepting applications from candidates based in the following areas:
- South West (covering Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Dorset, Bath, Swindon & Wiltshire)

There is an expectation that for this role, you are able to travel regularly across the South West and some travel across the wider South region. If you live outside of this area, we're unable to progress your application on this occasion.

Make a difference

Every role at CQC contributes to our mission, if you’re looking for a new role in Operations that gives a true sense of meaning and purpose then you’ve found it! As a Mental Health Inspector, you’ll help make sure people receive safe, high-quality, and compassionate care when they need it most.

Picture this
You’re visiting a mental health service, speaking with people who use it, staff, and partners to understand how care is delivered and where it can improve. Your work helps shape decisions that keep people safe and drive better outcomes across services.

As a Mental Health Inspector in the Operations directorate, you might get the chance to work on:

• Leading an inspection into a service where concerns have been raised, bringing together evidence from multiple sources to identify risks and take action to protect people.
• Working with partners and stakeholders to spot emerging risks across a region and influence improvements in how services are delivered.

The role
You’ll play an important part in delivering our mission. In this role, you’ll:

• Carry out inspections and assessments: Plan and lead on-site visits and off-site reviews, gathering evidence to assess the quality and safety of services.
• Manage risk and take action: Review information from different sources, identify concerns, and take proportionate regulatory action to keep people safe.
• Work with partners and share insight: Collaborate with colleagues, providers, and stakeholders, using data and feedback to support improvement across services.
  

Show us
We will be looking for specific skills, knowledge and experience in your application form:

• You’ll have experience of working in or with inpatient and/or community mental health, learning disability and substance misuse services, including assessing quality, safety, or outcomes for people using services.
• You’ll have an in-depth knowledge and working understanding of the MHA/MCA and the Codes of Practice. 
• Experience analysing information from different sources (such as data, feedback, or reports) to make informed decisions or recommendations.
• You’ll have a passion and commitment to improve the experience of detained patients. 
  

Bring your experience to a role in CQC that really makes a difference.

Compliance
Note for internal candidates:
This is a secondment/fixed term opportunity. Please read the recruitment and selection policy section on secondments. You must discuss your application with your line manager before applying.
To progress your application, you’ll need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK. Without valid right to work you won’t be eligible for the role. We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. Some roles may also be subject to a satisfactory DBS check.

Next steps
If you apply, you’ll need to create a profile and complete an online application form. Your application will be completely anonymous.  Please see our information for applicants for more details on the process. We contact every applicant to let them know the outcome of their application, so you will hear from us whether or not you are shortlisted.
You can read the full details of the role in the Job Description
If you’d like an informal chat about the role contact – Tiffany Joby, Operations Manager; Tiffany.Joby@cqc.org.uk. For general enquiries, please email recruitment@cqc.org.uk.

The Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits, including:

• Annual leave starting at 27 days per year, rising to 32.5 days with service, plus bank holidays (usually 8 days per year).
• Training and development opportunities.
• Wellbeing initiatives, such as gym discounts and meditation.
• NHS pension scheme, with around 14% employer contribution.
• Discount schemes (including eligibility for a Blue Light card, at a cost of £4.99 and valid for 2 years), reward vouchers, car leasing and more!

Please see our benefits page for the full list.

Equity for all
We know job descriptions can feel intimidating. Research shows they can cause some people to doubt whether they’re a good fit. This happens more often to people from underrepresented groups (e.g. ethnic minority backgrounds). If this role interests you, we encourage you to apply. Your unique perspective, skills, and experience could be exactly what we need.
We want every candidate to feel supported and able to do their best. If you need adjustments to our process, we’ll work with you to remove any barriers. Visit our accessibility page for more on this. If you’d like to chat, please contact recruitment@cqc.org.uk. Please note, if you have previously informed us of adjustments you need for interview or within your role these are not carried over and must be discussed for each individual application you make.
We promote a workplace where fairness, respect and inclusion are a priority. Diverse teams make our work better, help us deliver our mission and make our culture stronger. See our ED&I page for more about this.
We welcome applications from everyone, and colleagues can find support and community among our many employee networks. This includes people of any:

• Age
• Sex
• Gender identity or expression
• Sexual orientation
• Religion or belief
• Ethnicity
• Disability

Values and vision
We are guided by our core values, which shape our work and our culture.
Excellence – being a high-performing organisation.
Caring – treating everyone with dignity and respect.
Integrity – doing the right thing.
Teamwork – learning from each other to be the best we can.
We are a disability confident employer and a carer confident employer.

A Note on AI
AI tools can be great for research and refining ideas, but we want to learn about you. If you use AI or Chatbots to help you with your application, keep these points in mind:

•        AI can support research, structuring and refining your writing, but your application must reflect your real skills and experience.
•        Spell-checking and condensing word counts are great ways to use AI effectively.
•        Do not copy and paste AI generated answers. These will not help you stand out; remember we want to hear about your skills and experience.
•        Providing false and insincere examples goes against our core values of honesty and integrity and may lead to your application being withdrawn or termination of your employment.