Vacancy -- Senior Healthcare Inspector

Working for the Civil Service

The Welsh Government's recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

Vacancy Details

Chief Operating Officer’s Group
Healthcare Inspectorate Wales
SEO - £41,700 - £49,370
£40,100, but a starting salary of up to £44,200 may be offered for an exceptional candidate
Full time (applications are welcome from people who work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time)
Permanent
Pan Wales
'Pan Wales' means that the location in which the vacancy can be based is flexible, subject to the needs of the business. Please note it may not always be possible to accommodate a preference for a specific office location, but requests will be taken into consideration.
TBC

Purpose of Post:

  • To gather and use intelligence to help ensure that HIW activities focus on patient safety and quality and drive improvement in healthcare services across Wales (including Mental Health and Learning Disability services).
  • To ensure that a programme of inspection, reviews and/or regulatory activity is planned, managed and reported in a timely manner and to a professional standard.
  • To manage and lead teams (which could comprise HIW staff and/or external reviewers from a variety of backgrounds, and other inspectorates), to deliver inspections and reviews to a professional standard.
  • To lead on national reviews and a programme of local/ governance reviews. 

Key tasks:

HIW Senior Healthcare Inspectors can be asked to lead teams dealing with inspection, reviews or regulatory activity. During your career you will be encouraged and supported to gain experience across the range of HIW functions. 


Post-specific tasks (the role will not necessarily include all of these tasks)


Intelligence gathering and use
1.    To undertake the role of Relationship Manager with healthcare providers across Wales, collating and analysing information and assessing for key themes and emerging issues.
2.    To collaborate with the other inspection, regulation and review activities, and with other stakeholders as appropriate, in sharing information and developing the evidence base for HIW’s work.
3.    To consider evidence or concerning information presented to HIW about healthcare provision (both NHS and Independent Healthcare), and to make recommendations for further input from HIW.
4.    Where appropriate, liaise with complainants directly and if necessary meet with them to discuss their concerns so that the information they hold can be gathered and a judgement made as to whether their concerns give rise to safeguarding and/or immediate patient safety issues, or provide evidence of systemic failure.
5.    On an on-going basis, to use the information and intelligence gathered from various sources to undertake risk assessments of the systems and services operating at various levels across NHS Wales, within Health Boards and Trusts, Independent Healthcare organisations and services, to make recommendations for action by HIW.  Such action may include referral of concerns to another body that is better placed to address the matter or area of concern. 

Planning and delivery
6.    To proactively develop, plan, oversee and quality assure the agreed annual programme of assurance activity for the team, which could include: 
•    Routine inspections of NHS services and Independent Healthcare Services with respect to the National Minimum Standards/ relevant Healthcare Standards.
•    Processes and systems for registration, variations, queries and de-registrations of private and voluntary healthcare providers.  
•    High profile national or local/ governance reviews, which will involve a diverse range of stakeholders such as Audit Wales, Police, Probation and/ or Prison services, Estyn and Local Authorities.
7.    To undertake work as appropriate to respond to emerging healthcare issues and concerns during the year which could include:
•    Planning, designing, organising and leading reviews and inspections, including high profile pieces of work.
•    Planning, preparing and if required presenting at local or national learning events following assurance activity, and within healthcare summits.
•    Ensuring that any potential enforcement action is carried out within the relevant regulatory framework and guidance.
•    Working with Legal Services Department on the implementation of any regulatory or enforcement action.
•    Preparing and, if required, presenting evidence before the Care Standards Tribunal or Courts.
•    Escalating concerns to professional regulatory bodies such as the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
•    Liaising with Welsh Government and NHS organisations to implement special measures.
8.    To organise and ensure that inspection and review teams make use of and manage appropriate peer and lay reviewer input to all aspects of HIW's work; including the development of new approaches, the scoping and planning of review work, the delivery of fieldwork and the preparation of reports. 

Reporting and follow-up
9.    To prepare and quality assure reports (for inspections, reviews or other work), for final approval for publication, and to ensure they are of a high standard, and written with the key stakeholders (and the public) in mind.  For many of HIW's reports easy read versions, or alternative formats that meet individual needs may be required.  
10.    To contribute to media and press events that communicate HIW’s work programme and findings (For example, technical briefings or press conferences).
11.    To collaborate with others to ensure that any shortcomings identified during reviews or inspections are followed-up appropriately.

Personal impact
12.    To work with key stakeholders including colleagues within HIW, Welsh Government, Healthcare Providers, other Inspectorates and healthcare professions and Audit Wales, to share information and work together to improve healthcare services. 
13.    To provide expert advice to colleagues and senior managers.

Common tasks
1.    To manage, support and appraise staff, through established WG processes.
2.    To work collaboratively with colleagues throughout HIW.
3.    To contribute to, and develop, the corporate activities of HIW.
4.    To manage their own continuing professional development and the development of their team members.
5.    To uphold HIW's mission, purpose, role and values.

Development opportunities:

This post is part of the Healthcare Inspectors Profession. You will be expected to devise, maintain and follow an appropriate professional development plan and to undertake learning mandated by HIW.

Closing Date:

29/11/2022, 16:00

Eligibility

Posts recruited to as part of this recruitment campaign are broadly open to UK nationals, those with right to remain and work in the UK and those that meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules only. Check your eligibility here:

Prior to appointment, all successful applicants will be required to produce original, acceptable documents as part of the pre-employment checks. If it becomes apparent at a later stage in the process that you aren’t eligible to apply, your application will be withdrawn, or offer retracted.

Equality and Diversity

The Welsh Government is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. This is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010 and will be adhered to at each stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments are also embedded in our day-to-day working practices with all our customers, colleagues and partners.

We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and increasing diversity in the Welsh Government by removing barriers and supporting all our staff to reach their potential. We are committed to recruiting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and disabled people who are currently under-represented in Welsh Government.

We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, marriage and civil partnership (both same sex and opposite sex), impairment or health condition, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, gender identity or gender expression.

We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion and a Disability Confident Level 3 (Leader) organisation. Key to supporting this work and providing peer support are five Board sponsored Staff Networks (Disability Awareness and Support (DAAS); Minority Ethnic Support Network (MESN); Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex +) and Women Together.

Disability Confident

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Welsh Language Requirements

The Welsh Government is a bilingual organisation and Welsh language skills are considered an asset to the organisation. We encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills in the workplace. 

The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the line manager on behalf of the Welsh Government of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.

Desirable
Can read some basic words and phrases with understanding
Can hold a basic conversation in Welsh
Can understand parts of a basic conversation
Can write basic messages on everyday topics

Social Partnership

In Welsh Government, the relationship between the employer and trade unions is based on social partnership. We believe our goals can best be achieved by management and trade unions working together.

Our 3 recognised trade unions are:
•         PCS
•         Prospect
•         FDA

This relationship is underpinned by a partnership agreement. This sets out how our unions work with Welsh Government on issues such as:
•         pay
•         terms and conditions
•         policies and procedures
•         organisational change.

Our Welsh Government trade union colleagues work together to give their members a real say in the workplace. They make sure that the interests of their members are promoted and protected. They also help reduce inequalities and improve terms and conditions.

The Welsh Government has an excellent track record of working in partnership with its trade unions. We encourage staff to get involved. We support you to join a recognised trade union, to ensure your voice is heard in the workplace. and to learn more about trade unions and partnership working.

Competencies / Job Specific Criteria

Competencies and behaviours 

Setting direction - Making effective decisions
•  Identify a broad range of relevant and credible information sources and recognise the need to collect new data when necessary from internal and external sources.


Engaging people - Leading and communicating
•    Communicate using appropriate styles, methods and timing, including digital channels, to maximise understanding and impact.

Delivering results - Managing a quality service
•    Work with team to set priorities, goals, objectives and timescales.

Delivering results - Delivering at pace 
•    Regularly monitor own and team’s work against milestones or targets and act promptly to keep work on track and maintain performance


Job specific Criteria

1    Experience of carrying out inspections and/or reviews through a professional framework, and to ensure that reviews are appropriately scoped and evidence based.
2    Experience and knowledge of various regulatory regimes and frameworks of standards. 
3    Ability to identify and quality assure outcomes and findings to a high standard, and communicate these clearly both orally and in writing (including high profile national or local/ governance review reports).

Assessment Process

Applications will be sifted, followed by interviews. There will be a short test prior to the interview. The test will be time limited (approx 45 mins). We will email them test 45 mins before interview, asking them to prepare a briefing note, and email it back to us ahead of time.

Other Information

  • Unless stated otherwise in ‘actual starting salary’, all candidates will start at the minimum of the pay scale being appointed to (this includes existing civil servants).This is not negotiable.
  • Unless stated otherwise in ‘type of opportunity’, this recruitment advert is not open on a Loan or Secondment basis.
  • For more information on the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions for Loan and Secondment positions in Welsh Government, please see external recruitment candidate guidance.
  • Unless stated otherwise in ‘Location of Post’ the role/s recruited to via this campaign can only be worked in the UK, not overseas.
Zoe Weaver - HIW@gov.wales - 03000 628539

How to apply

Grievance and Complaints

Anyone who believes they have been treated unfairly, or has a grievance or complaint, about how the process was conducted should either write to the Head of Resourcing, Welsh Government, Cathays Park 2, Cardiff CF10 3NQ or email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales.  If you are unhappy with the outcome of the complaint raised with the Welsh Government and feel that the principles of appointment on merit through fair and open competition have not been met you have the right to pursue your grievance with the Civil Service Commission.

This vacancy is closed to applications.