Adult Social Care Inspector - South Network (South East) in London

Grade B - £42,044 (National Framework) or £47,900 (London Framework – if you are London office based or homebased and live 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: Permanent

Closing date: Thursday 5th March 2026 at 11.59pm

We are currently accepting applications from candidates based in the following areas: Greenwich, Bexley, Bromley, Kent & Sussex. If you live outside of these areas, we are unable to progress your application on this occasion.

Please note you may be required to undertake Inspection work outside of regular working hours.

Make a difference

Every role at CQC contributes to our mission. If you are looking for a new role in Operations that gives a true sense of meaning and purpose, then you have found it. As an Adult Social Care Inspector, you will help make sure people receive safe, kind, high‐quality care every day.

Picture this

Imagine stepping into a service where people rely on care teams for dignity, safety and support. You listen, observe and gather stories that help build a fair picture of the care people receive.

The role

You will work closely with others to deliver shared outcomes. In this role, you will:

• Carry out assessments: Plan and lead on‐site and off‐site assessments so services meet safety and quality standards, using evidence to reach fair and clear judgments.
• Build strong relationships: Work with care providers, local partners and people who use services to understand risk, share insights and support positive change.
• Use and analyse information: Review data, feedback and concerns to spot patterns, guide decisions and keep an accurate, digital record of what you find.
• Take enforcement action: Take appropriate enforcement action where safety and quality concerns are identified.

Show us

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

• Experience working in health or social care: This could include work in adult social care, the NHS, care regulation or similar settings where you have supported people or overseen quality.
• Ability to assess risk and make decisions: Demonstrate when you have used information, feedback or data to form clear judgments and take appropriate action.
• Experience working with others to improve quality: Show how you have built relationships, handled sensitive situations and worked with partners or teams to support better outcomes.

Join us and help CQC shape the future of health and care.

Compliance

To progress your application, you will 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 will need to create a profile and complete an online application form. Your application will be completely anonymous. 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.

Please note that we may not have immediate vacancies within the Network area for all successful candidates. If you are successful following interview and there is not an immediate vacancy in your Network area, we will seek your permission to contact you if a suitable position arises.

Selection Process

Once your application has been reviewed you will be notified of the outcome via email. Shortlisted Candidates will go through a two‐stage assessment process for this role:

• Written Exercise – online via email.
• Formal Interview – via MS Teams.

If you are successful in the written exercise, you will be invited to attend a virtual interview via MS Teams.

Travel Required

Inspectors are required to regularly travel within the patch you work in and may occasionally be asked to travel across the South network or further for national meetings.

If you would like an informal chat about the role contact – 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 are 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 will work with you to remove any barriers. Visit our accessibility page for more on this. If you would 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.