Mental Health Inspector - South West in Hounslow

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 candidatesbased in the following areas: South West (covering Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Dorset, Bath, Swindon & Wiltshire)

There is an expectation that for this role, youare able to travel regularly across the South West and some travel across thewider 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 toour mission, if you’re looking for a new role inOperationsthatgives a true sense of meaning and purpose then you’ve found it! As aMentalHealth 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 healthservice, speaking with people who use it, staff, and partners to understand howcare is delivered and where it can improve. Your work helps shape decisionsthat keep people safe and drive better outcomes across services.

As aMental HealthInspectorin theOperationsdirectorate,youmight get the chance to work on:

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

The role

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

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

Show us

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

• You’llhave experience of working in or with inpatient and/orcommunity mental health, learning disability and substance misuseservices, including assessing quality, safety, or outcomes for peopleusing services.
• You’llhaveanin-depth knowledge and workingunderstanding of the MHA/MCA and the Codes of Practice.
• Experience analysing information from different sources (such asdata, feedback, or reports) to make informed decisions or recommendations.
• You’llhave a passion and commitment to improve the experienceof detained patients.

Bring your experience to a rolein CQC that really makes a difference.

Compliance

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. Someroles may also be subject to a satisfactory DBS check.

The Benefits

Weoffer 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 23.7% 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.

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

Values and vision

We are guided by ourcore 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 applicationmustreflectyour real skills and experience.
• Spell-checking and condensing word counts are great ways to use AI effectively.
• Do notcopy 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 andmay lead to your application being withdrawnor termination of your employment.