Person specification

Job title: Inspector

Essential criteria

Qualifications and registration

To become an inspector, you must be registered with or able to register, and hold a qualification that meets the registration requirements of, one of the following regulatory bodies:

• Social Social Services Council (SSSC)
• General Teaching Council (Scotland) (GTC)
• Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) 
• General Medical Council (GMC) Health and Care Professions Council (applies to the following roles only: occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and practitioner psychologists)
• Other equivalent professional bodies for the UK nations

Inspectors eligible to apply for registration with the SSSC must hold a suitable practice qualification at SCQF level. For more information on the list of suitable qualifications please see our recruitment web pages.

Inspectors must also hold or undertake an appropriate regulator's award from the list below:

• Regulation of Care Award
• PDA Scrutiny and Improvement Practice (Social Services) SCQF level 10

Experience

• Senior professional experience, expertise and knowledge of adult social care or health care, early learning and childcare or children and young people sectors and
• Experience of lead responsibility for complex professional practice through case management, managing people, projects or resources.

Skills

• Ability to use evidence and knowledge to provide accurate, expert, insightful professional advice and judgements, which are based on clear and incisive thinking.
• Ability to identify priorities and gather and analyse evidence to evaluate options before arriving at well-reasoned, justifiable decisions.
• Ability to weigh up complex and conflicting evidence, reach robust judgements and record these.
• Ability to communicate clearly, convincingly and succinctly to different audiences, verbally, in writing and virtually.
• Stakeholder engagement skills and ability to build relationships with people at all levels of seniority.
• IT literate with a thorough understanding of Microsoft Office.

Key performance outcomes/competencies

Supporting and co-operating

• Supports others and shows respect and positive regard
• Puts people first, working effectively with individuals, teams and people who use care services
• Behaves consistently with clear personal values and relevant professional standards of practice that complement those of the organisation
• Understands the limits of their knowledge and experience and when decisions need to be referred to others.

Interacting and presenting

• Communicates clearly and networks effectively, projecting credibility
• Establishes good relationships and relates to others in a confident and relaxed manner
• Considers Care Inspectorate values in relation to the impact of their decisions
• Considers the wider context in which the Care Inspectorate operates.

Analysing and interpreting

• Demonstrates analytical and systematic approach to problem solving
• Gets to the heart of complex problems and issues
• Applies own expertise effectively
• Quickly learns and embraces new technology
• Excellent written communication skills.

Creating and conceptualising

• Open to new ideas and experience
• Seeks out learning opportunities
• Handles situations and problems with innovation and creativity
• Thinks broadly and strategically
• Supports and drives organisational change
• Contributes to the development of operational processes and systems
• Ability to use knowledge and experience to gather and consolidate information to make appropriate improvements
• Applies rules and procedures sensibly and understands where flexibility is required.

Organising and executing

• Plans ahead and works in a systematic and organised way
• Follows directions and procedures
• Focuses on service user satisfaction and delivers a quality service to the expected standards
• Ability to work flexibly in response to changing priorities and to prioritise conflicting demands
• Ability to plan workload effectively in the short, medium and long term in conjunction with their line manager and work to strict deadlines
• Ability to show initiative and work independently without close supervision.

Adapting and coping

• Adapts and responds positively to change
• Manages pressure effectively and copes with setbacks
• Ability to adapt communication to suit different audiences.

The Care Inspectorate expects that all its employees, who can be, are registered and maintain an active registration with their relevant registering body throughout the duration of employment with the Care Inspectorate.  

You will be required to maintain all necessary professional registration as required by the Professional Registration Policy - adherence to this policy is imperative.

Job profile

Job title: Inspector

Location: Local / nearest office base

Responsible to: Team manager

Job overview

Our inspectors have a vital role to ensure that people in Scotland who need care, receive high quality, safe and compassionate care. They are responsible for assuring and improving the quality of care for people who use care services by determining and undertaking appropriate scrutiny, assurance and improvement activities.

Our values

Our values are about clearly establishing what it means to be a Care Inspectorate employee and set the standard for every person and how they play their part. Our values are:

• Person-centred: we will put people at the heart of everything we do
• Fairness: we will act fairly, be transparent and treat people equally
• Respect: we will be respectful in all that we do
• Integrity: we will be impartial and act to improve care for the people of Scotland
• Efficiency: we will provide the best possible quality and public value from our work
• Equality: we will promote and advance equality, diversity and inclusion in all our work and interactions

Key responsibilities

• Plan and deliver timely and high-quality scrutiny activities of registered services aligned with the Public Services Reform Act.
• Provide feedback, report on findings and work with providers to support improvement and innovation and signpost good practice.
• Apply specialist knowledge and skills to gather, analyse, assess and share information and intelligence on care services and service providers to help target scrutiny and improvement activities.
• Apply specialist knowledge, skills and expertise to authoritatively and credibly provide advice and guidance to service providers and their staff to support continuous improvement in the quality of care they deliver.
• Work in partnership with people who use services, family carers, scrutiny delivery and policy partners to act as a catalyst for change and innovation and promote the Health and Social Care Standards and good practice guidance.
• Support the strategic scrutiny activities of adult or children’s services or shared scrutiny activities with other scrutiny bodies as required.
• Support enforcement activities, attending legal hearings or other types of constituted hearings to give evidence or advice.
• Produce evaluative reports, within required timescales, to include clear evidence-based outcomes that direct and contribute to improvements in the care and protection of service users.
• Work collaboratively and effectively with a range of stakeholders, including partner scrutiny bodies and Scottish Government staff and officials.
• Participate in supervision arrangements, team meetings, appraisal and learning and development as required and appropriate.
• Provide relationship management support to allocated providers.
• Take a lead role on designated projects and other initiatives that require specialist knowledge, expertise and experience.
• Support the induction of new start inspectors and colleagues through peer learning and other learning and development activities within your team and directorate.
• Participate in and support quality assurance activities of the work of the care inspectorate.
• Work flexibly to meet the needs of the business and the availability of providers (for example evening and weekend working and travel and overnight stays across Scotland, where required).
• Undertake such other duties as may be required by the organisation to fulfil the role of Inspector.

Key accountabilities

• Ensure accurate records of all registered services are prepared and maintained, and share intelligence, in accordance with the requirements and procedures of the Care Inspectorate.
• Maintain a high standard of records in relation to work undertaken, producing reports, letters and instructions.
• Work to relevant professional codes of practice and ensure national occupational standards are achieved.
• Follow processes and duties relating to enforcement action against registered services
• Build and maintain productive working relationships, both internally and externally with providers and partners.
• Share and maintain knowledge and understanding of current developments in your specialist area (early learning and childcare, adults or children and young people).
• Participate in all learning and development activities relevant to your role, including the professional development award (PDA) and/ or other qualifications as deemed necessary.
• Maintain professional registration with the relevant professional regulatory body.
• Meet performance management indicators and performance management objectives of the organisation as relevant to your role.