Job Description

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. Talk to us about flexible working.

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing date: Tuesday 13 October 2026 at 11.59pm

Location: Home based - Candidates must be willing and able to travel within the North East region. For this reason, we are seeking candidates who live within the specified region, and location will be carefully considered to ensure that the role and responsibilities are manageable. You may also be asked to travel nationally on occasions. Please note that the locations you will be required to visit are not always well served by public transport.

Assessment and Interview date: Wednesday 28 October 2026 in Newcastle

What to expect at assessment

Your assessment will be face-to-face and includes: A short written exercise, followed by a interview.

We aim to keep things welcoming and supportive. If you need any adjustments, just let us know!

If you’d like to learn more about the role or have any questions before applying, we’re hosting a virtual information session via Teams on Monday 5 October 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm.

If you are interested in attending, please email recruitment@cqc.org.uk and we will send you the joining details.

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 Mental Health Act Reviewer, you will have an opportunity to use your knowledge of the MHA and the Code of Practice and experience of the care and treatment of detained patients.

Picture this

Imagine being part of a team undertaking Mental Health Act (MHA) monitoring activity across your geographical area. In the last year as a MHA reviewer, you might have:

• Developed and delivered an individual MHA monitoring plan which details activities, timelines and priorities, involving mental health trusts and independent mental health providers.
• Managed a portfolio of providers, escalating risks and issues as appropriate.
• Carried out weekly solo monitoring visits to mental health wards across the North East.
• Followed up each monitoring visit with a comprehensive report to the provider, to include required actions, and monitored provider replies and action taken.

The role

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

• Work closely with your regional colleagues to monitor the use of the MHA to highlight the experiences of people detained under the MHA.
• Act as a MHA specialist on Inspection visits.
• Contribute MHA expertise to the Inspection programme to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety.

Show us

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

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

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. 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 – Natasha Jentle, MHA Operations Manager at Natasha.Jentle@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.