Specialist Advisor – General Practice (GP)

Location: National
Daily Rate: £540 per day (including annual leave entitlement)
Ad Hoc: As and when required
Closing Date: 05/10/2026

Are you committed to helping us regulate health and social care in England?

When you think about what drives you every day in your job and what keeps you motivated and passionate about your work, what comes to mind?
For more than 3,000 people at CQC, we end each day knowing that we have made a difference to the lives of those most in need in our communities. We make sure that health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care, while encouraging services to improve.
We are looking for people who are caring, demonstrate integrity, aspire to excellence, are committed to equitable and inclusive services and care, and work well as part of a team to join us and share in this sense of achievement
If you would like to help us make a positive impact on health and social care in England and deliver an excellent service to the public, then read on..

Why this could be a great role for you...

This is an opportunity to use your expertise beyond your own practice, helping to shape national oversight of primary care and making a meaningful contribution to the quality, safety and effectiveness of services delivered across England. As a GP Specialist Advisor, you will ensure that regulation is informed by the realities of modern general practice, the challenges faced by providers, and the needs of patients and communities.

We are seeking GPs who are currently in active clinical practice to join our team of General Practice Specialist Advisors. This flexible, ad hoc role is designed to complement your existing clinical commitments while providing a unique opportunity to influence improvement across primary care services at a national level.

Bringing your frontline experience, professional judgement and deep understanding of general practice, you will provide valuable clinical insight to support CQC's assessment activity. Working alongside experienced regulatory colleagues, you will help ensure that regulatory decisions are fair, balanced and evidence-based, reflecting the realities of delivering care in today's primary care environment.

Through this role, you will help identify and promote good practice, share learning across the sector, and contribute to continuous improvement in the quality and safety of care. You will also gain a unique perspective on general practice across England, broadening your understanding of different models of care, emerging challenges and innovative approaches to service delivery.

The role offers significant opportunities for personal and professional development. By working alongside regulatory, clinical and operational experts, you will strengthen your leadership, quality improvement and assessment skills, gain insight into the wider healthcare system, and contribute to your continuing professional development.
If you are passionate about high-quality primary care and want to use your expertise to make a difference beyond your own practice, influencing care for patients and communities across England, we would like to hear from you.

What You Will Bring...

You will have relevant knowledge and experience that will help you collate and analyse evidence as part of assessment activity. You will be a skilled communicator, able to engage effectively with providers, colleagues, people using services and stakeholders at every level.

You will have up-to-date knowledge of clinical practice, professional standards, national guidance and the regulatory framework for primary medical services, together with an understanding of quality management systems, patient safety, clinical governance and continuous improvement.

The primary contribution of the GP Specialist Advisor is to provide independent clinical expertise and professional insight to assessment teams. Specialist Advisors are not expected to be regulatory experts but should use their clinical knowledge, experience and professional judgement to help evaluate the quality, safety and effectiveness of care and ensure that assessments are informed by an understanding of contemporary general practice.

Successful candidates for the GP Specialist Advisor role will have been practising as a GP for at least five years following qualification. Applicants must hold a current licence to practise and be included on the NHS GP Performers List.

Where GP Specialist Advisors are GP Partners or salaried GPs, they must be employed by a practice that currently holds a CQC rating of either Good or Outstanding.

Successful candidates must also hold an NHS Smartcard and be confident in the use of digital systems and technology.

Please note that all successful Specialist Advisor applicants will be required to participate in a generic induction and primary care-specific training (dates to be confirmed).
You will accompany CQC representatives on inspection and investigation activities at identified provider organisations, providing clinical expertise and input to support appropriate regulatory judgements.

Most of the role can be undertaken remotely. However, there may be occasional requirements to participate in on-site practice visits, and we would expect you to be available to support these as part of the role.

All successful candidates must be in current professional practice.

Key Responsibilities...

Provide timely, robust and objective specialist advice to CQC staff through verbal and written communication.

Accompany CQC representatives on inspections and related activities at identified provider organisations, providing clinical expertise and specialist advice to support evidence-based regulatory judgements.

Review inspection reports in a timely manner following inspection activity, ensuring that findings, evidence, recommendations and ratings are accurate, evidence-based and aligned with inspection outcomes and the relevant regulatory framework.

Demonstrate the highest standards of impartiality, integrity and objectivity in relation to advice and activities undertaken on CQC's behalf.

Adopt an open and transparent approach in all business activities and in the provision of advice undertaken on CQC's behalf.

Ensure all work carried out is within the required scope and that relevant CQC policies and guidance are adhered to.

Maintain the confidentiality of information accessed during work undertaken for CQC.

Please note that this role is subject to a satisfactory DBS check.

Individual Adjustments
We are committed to being open and transparent about our processes and endeavour to provide every candidate with the opportunity to perform at their best throughout the recruitment process.
We seek to support candidates in identifying potential challenges and will work with them to identify and facilitate reasonable adjustments where appropriate.
Should you require assistance or wish to request an adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact a member of the team via email at temprecruitment@cqc.org.uk.

Sponsorship
This role is not open to applications from individuals who require sponsorship under the points-based immigration system.
If you apply for this role and are found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
CQC is committed to promoting a fair and inclusive workplace where all our people can flourish and reach their full potential. We know that diverse teams create a more innovative and productive environment, and we therefore encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

Application Guidance
Candidates must ensure that all information provided within their application is their own work and is factually accurate. Any examples included must be drawn from personal experience.
CQC upholds honesty and integrity as core values. If evidence of plagiarism, AI-generated responses that do not reflect a candidate's own experience, or content copied from other sources is identified, applications may be withdrawn.
Further Information