Job Description

Grade B -

39,784 (National) or 45,456 (London - for London office based or homebased workers within the boundary of the M25) - There is also an additional homeworking allowance of 581 per annum for those working from home. For part time roles - please note this will be pro rata.

Contracted Hours:

Full time 37 hours per week

Contract Type:

Secondment/FTC for 12 months

Assessment Dates

: Tuesday 22 July and Wednesday 23 July 2025

Assessment Process and Venue:

Interviews will be part of a face to face assessment centre, this will include a written assessment and an interview. The venues for the assessment centres will be Bristol on Tuesday 22 July and Wednesday 23 July 2025.

Closing date:

Sunday 6 July at 11:59pm

Make a difference

Every role at CQC contributes to our mission. If you're a pharmacy professional looking for a new role in CQC's Medicines Optimisation Team that gives a true sense of meaning and purpose, then you've found it! As a Medicines Inspector based in the South West, you'll use your pharmacy expertise to help ensure people receive safe and effective care by supporting inspections and promoting good medicines optimisation across health and social care.

Picture this

Imagine being the trusted expert on medicines safety, helping inspection teams across the South West make informed decisions that protect people and improve care.



In the last year as a

Medicines Inspector

in the

Medicines Optimisation Team

, you will have supported inspections in a range of health and social care providers, such as care homes, GP practices and hospitals, identifying risks in how medicines were managed and helping the team take action.



You might have contributed to the delivery of medicines training for inspectors, improving their understanding of safe medicines use in all health and social care settings.

The role

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

Assess and Inspect health and social care providers:

Provide expert input on medicines optimisation and safety during inspections and investigations.

Support learning:

Help train and develop CQC staff to improve their understanding of medicines optimisation.

Manage workload effectively

, focusing on specific care sectors as agreed.

Show us

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

Pharmacy registration and experience:

Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council and at least 3 years of experience as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician.

Medicines knowledge:

Understanding of medicines law and how it applies to health and social care services.

Clear communication:

Ability to explain complex medicines issues in a simple, accessible way to different audiences.

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

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

If you'd like an informal chat about the role contact - Hayley File, Regional Medicines Manager at hayley.file@cqc.org.uk or Mary Collier, Regional Medicines Manager at Mary.Collier@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.


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

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.

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.