Chair and Senior Chair of Independent Care (Education) and Treatment Programme

Homebased - Region specific, United Kingdom

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.

Contracted Hours: Full time 37 hours per week

Contract Type: Fixed Term/Secondment until 31 March 2028

Location: Homebased – Chair - South region 1 post, Midlands 1 post and North 2 posts – regular travel across the relevant region is essential. Senior Chairs (Grade B with 5% uplift) – can live anywhere within England. You may also be asked to travel nationally on occasions. Candidates must be willing and able to travel within the stipulated regions. For this reason, we are seeking candidates who live within the specified regions, and location will be carefully considered to ensure that the role and responsibilities are manageable. Please note that the locations you will be required to visit are not always well served by public transport.

Assessment Dates: Interviews will be held between 24 - 27 February 2026

Closing date: Sunday 15 February 2026 at 11.59pm

Make a difference: Every role at CQC contributes to our mission. If you’re looking for a new role in Mental Health that gives a true sense of meaning and purpose then you’ve found it! As a Chair of the Independent Care (Education) and Treatment programme, you will have an opportunity to use your knowledge of the Human Rights Act, Mental Health Act 1983 and the Code of Practice and experience of the care and treatment of detained patients.

Picture this: Imagine being part of a team undertaking Independent Care (Education) and Treatment reviews (IC(E)TR) of individuals across your geographical area. An IC(E)TR is a review of the care and treatment of an individual with a learning disability or autism who is currently in long-term segregation in a hospital. The aim is to reduce restrictions placed on the person, so that they can live a more productive and fulfilling life. This began when in November 2019, when the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced that autistic people and people with a learning disability in long-term segregation would have their care independently reviewed. This aligned with findings in our 2020 report ‘Out of Sight — who cares?’ which identified the need for an independent review of care, for autistic people and people with a learning disability in long-term segregation in inpatient settings. Baroness Hollins was appointed to oversee this process and chair an Independent Oversight Panel. Her review in December 2020 and subsequent 2023 ‘My heart breaks’ report led the Department of Health and Social Care to ask CQC to lead on Independent Care (Education) and Treatment Reviews (IC(E)TR) until March 2026. The success of this programme means that this has now been extended to March 2028. The programme was established because of serious concerns about the use of long-term segregation.

In the last 2 years as a Chair of the IC(E)TR, you will have:

• Supported the delivery of the IC(E)TR programme, making a significant difference to the person’s care and helping them to progress to discharge to their own home and improving their lives.
• Managed individual IC(E)TRs both before, on the day and following up on the recommendations made and escalated risks and issues as appropriate.

The role: You’ll be key in helping us deliver our work. In this role, you’ll:

• Work closely with your regional colleagues, working flexibly to monitor the use of the Human Rights Act and MHA to highlight the experiences of people detained under the MHA who are in long-term segregation who have a learning disability or are an autistic person.
• Contribute MHA expertise to the Inspection programme to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety.

Senior Chair: We are also recruiting for 2 senior chairs to assist in overseeing the program and supporting the MHA Operations Manager. Senior chairs will also be required to undertake IC(E)TRs and will receive a 5% uplift in pay as a senior chair.

Show us: We’ll be looking for the following skills, knowledge and experience in your application form:

• You’ll have in-depth knowledge and working understanding of the Human Rights Act and the MHA and the Code of Practice.
• You’ll have experience of working in or with inpatient mental health services.
• You’ll have a passion and commitment to improve the experience of detained patients.

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 – Meryll Paterson Operations Manager (MHA Operation Manager (ICETRS)). For general enquiries, please email.

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.