Improvement Support Officer – Quality Improvement Support Team
Job Title: Improvement Support Officer – Quality Improvement Support Team
Salary: £30,495 - £31,740
Hours: 35 hours per week
Location: Flexible (Any Care Inspectorate office)
Contract: Temporary to 17 March 2026
About us
We are the independent scrutiny and improvement support body for social care and social work services in Scotland. We provide assurance for people who experience care services, their families, carers and the wider public, as well as supporting delivery partners to improve the quality of care for people in Scotland. Our vision is for world-class social care and social work in Scotland, where everyone in every community experience high-quality care, support, and learning, tailored to their rights, needs, and wishes.
We inspect individual care services, and we also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in their local areas.
Our desire is to achieve an effective and balanced way of working, which enables us to meet organisational needs and achieve a work-life balance that promotes wellbeing and collaboration opportunities. We are moving towards the expectation that all staff will work collaboratively, within and across teams, in person, for approximately 40% of their working week.
About the role
To backfill a secondment, we are looking for an Improvement Support Officer to join the Quality Improvement Support Team (QIST).
The QIST team provides specialist quality improvement knowledge and skills to the social care workforce, provider groups and Care Inspectorate colleagues. We support, educate, and enable others to improve how they help people who experience care in Scotland. Working collaboratively is key to how we work, whether that work is universal, targeted or specialist.
Our wide-ranging experience of quality improvement helps us to have meaningful conversations with all partners. Using the Model for Improvement, including PDSA cycles, we enable services to develop, implement and reflect on their change projects.
We work collaboratively with our Scrutiny and Assurance colleagues to ensure that improvements are made alongside existing inspection frameworks and services’ own self-evaluation processes.
This role requires a high level of engagement with the Health and Social Care Improvement team and other associated improvement projects, our inspectors, service providers, external partners as well as stakeholders from across the organisation.
The purpose of the role is to provide effective high-quality projects and business support to the QIST team. The role supports the implementation of improvement approaches to support the Care Inspectorate’s improvement strategy, which is aligned to the Corporate Plan. Also, to support the delivery and implementation of QIST improvement work, ensuring the needs of all customers are met in a consistent, efficient, and effective manner.
About you
The successful candidate will be educated to SCQF level 5 (for example, credit standard grade, national 5, skills for work national 5, national certificate, national progression award, modern apprenticeship or SVQ) or have relevant skills and experience in administration or business support. The ideal candidate will have a suitable qualification in administration and business studies at SCQF level 6 or greater.
You’ll be an excellent communicator, highly organised and able to plan and manage your time and work streams efficiently and effectively. In addition, you’ll understand that priorities and deadlines can change quickly, and you’ll respond flexibly and effectively. You’ll be confident in using your own initiative and keen to support the QIST team to continually improve. Your attention to detail is meticulous and you’ll have a clear commitment to maintaining high standards.
The preferred candidate will be a great team worker and nurture good working relationships. Excellent word processing and IT skills with experience of Microsoft applications are needed as well as diary management and minute taking.
This post will give the opportunity for the post holder to learn more about quality improvement methodology and support the wider quality improvement activities of the team, such as improvement workshops, webinars, and projects. There will also be the opportunity to undertake a quality improvement qualification appropriate to the role.
Next steps
You’ll find more information in the job profile and person specification.
If you would like more information or an informal chat about the role, please contact: Louise Kelly Senior Improvement Adviser on 078 258 42156 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
If you believe that your skills, experience and motivation make you a suitable candidate for this post, please complete an application form and return it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 08.00 on Monday 24 June 2024. Potential candidates must also fill in this equal opportunities monitoring survey.
The selection for this post will include an interview and a skills exercise. It will be held online using Teams on Thursday 11 July 2024.
Person specification
Job title: Improvement Support Officer – Quality Improvement Support Team (QIST)
Attributes
Experience
Essential
• Experience of providing high quality business and customer support.
• Experience of servicing meetings, including scheduling and minute taking.
• Experience of working autonomously.
• Co-ordinating and supporting multiple projects.
Desirable
ICT technical support/ organising and facilitating webinars.
Education, training and qualifications
Essential
The successful candidate will be educated to SCQF level 5 (for example, credit standard grade, national 5, skills for work national 5, national certificate, national progression award, modern apprenticeship or SVQ) or have relevant skills and experience in administration or business support.
Desirable
Qualifications or skills and experience at SCQF 6 in administration or business studies.
Skills and knowledge
Essential
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Good working knowledge of IT packages, including spreadsheets, Microsoft Applications, and database input.
• Experience of developing processes and procedures. § Ability to manage conflicting priorities and work to tight deadlines/plan and prioritise workloads.
• Ability to translate plans into action.
Key Performance Outcomes
Effective communication
Essential
• Ability to prepare reports and other written communication to a high standard.
• Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and to adapt communication to suit different audiences.
• Ability to form constructive working relationships with people at all levels in the organisation.
Desirable
Experience communicating/ liaising with senior members of the organisation.
Objective decision making
Essential
• Demonstrates analytical and systematic approach to problem solving.
• Considers Care Inspectorate values in relation to the impact of their decisions.
• Considers the wider context in which the Care Inspectorate operates.
• Understands the limits of their knowledge and experience and when decisions need to be referred to others.
Desirable
Ability to express and present complex information.
Planning and organisation
Essential
• Ability to react 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.
• Demonstrates attention to detail for both numerate and literate work.
• Ability to show initiative and work without close supervision.
Flexibility
Essential
• Encourages a flexible, positive approach to work in their team.
• Applies rules and procedures sensibly and understands where flexibility is required.
Improvement focus
Essential
• Contributes to the development of operational processes and systems.
• Ability to use knowledge and experience to gather and consolidate information to make appropriate improvements.
• Demonstrate initiative, drive and determination to complete tasks and achieve objectives.
Team working
Essential
• Ability to contribute to and support the work and decisions of the team.
• Ability to work co-operatively and supportively with others.
Job profile
Job title: Improvement Support Officer – Quality Improvement Support Team (QIST)
Responsible to: Senior Improvement Advisor – Quality Improvement Support Team (QIST)
Principal working contacts
• Quality Improvement Manager – QIST
• Quality Improvement Support Team / improvement programmes and leads
• Improvement support officer / assistants
• Health and Social Care Improvement Team
• AHP Consultant / Chief Nurse
• Equalities and Involvement Team manager and team
• Care Inspectorate scrutiny teams / senior colleagues
• Intelligence Team / Communication Team / policy analysts
• External partners and agencies
Job purpose
• To provide effective high quality project and business support to the Quality Improvement Support Team
• To support the implementation of the quality improvement and involvement strategy and Improvement and participation yearly Plan, aligned to the Corporate Plan, which is delivery focused, ensuring the needs of all users are met in a consistent, efficient and effective manner.
Key responsibilities
• Organise and plan work appropriately to ensure the provision of efficient business and project support to the Quality Improvement Support Team which supports the implementation of the Quality Improvement and Involvement Strategy and the delivery and implementation of their Quality Improvement work.
• Maintain appropriate systems for supporting the Quality Improvement Support Team’s work and activity.
• Undertake specialist activities, in accordance with procedures or instructions, to support the Quality Improvement Support Team.
• Prepare agenda and paperwork for meetings as required.
• Organise, attend and participate in quality improvement workshops, events and meetings as required to take attendance, evaluations, notes, actions from meetings, prepare minutes/feedback and distribute.
• Arrange local / national improvement visits / workshops / webinars and other visit arrangements, liaising with service providers and other external agencies to agree arrangements.
• Update computerised information systems, extracting and collating information from manual files and other records as required.
• Distribute information within the Care Inspectorate to the Quality Improvement Support Team, Scrutiny & Assurance colleagues and external agencies as required.
• Obtain information from the team and/or other external agencies as required.
• Act as the initial point of contact for the team, including assessing priorities, managing time, diaries, arranging meetings, managing enquiries and requests as necessary.
• Organise and communicate project timelines appropriately to ensure the smooth running of quality improvement workshops / team projects, other activities.
• Provide and maintain high quality statistical information and data analysis from workshops, projects and other records as required together with distribution of information to the team.
• Update the Quality Improvement Support Teams’ Hub and intranet pages.
• Promote the team’s work using social media and the intranet.
People management
• Carry out your duties in accordance with our Health and Safety policies, procedures, guidance, practices and legislative requirements, taking reasonable care for your safety and that of others who may be affected by what you do or fail to do while at work.
• Promote diversity, equality of opportunity, fairness, dignity and trust, ensuring that these principles are upheld across all areas of service delivery.
Relationship management
• Establish and maintain good working relationships the Quality Improvement Support Team and all internal and external stakeholders associated with the team to ensure effective and efficient business and project support.
• Establish good working relationships with service providers and other external agencies and promote the role and function of the Quality Improvement Support Team.
• Promote the principles of partnership working throughout the organisation and embrace this as the agreed way of working.
• Ensure effective communication of the Care Inspectorate's work with people who use care services, carers, relatives and advocates.
• Demonstrate a commitment to the Care Inspectorate’s aims, vision and values and to the Care Inspectorate’s overall objective of improving care in Scotland.
Other duties
• This job may require some travel and may involve some overnight stays and unsocial hours.
• This job description is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time. Consequently, the post holder will be required to carry out any other duties to the equivalent level that are necessary to fulfil the purpose of the job, and to respond positively to changing business needs.
Communications Co-ordinator (Safe staffing programme)
Job title: Communications Co-ordinator (Safe staffing programme)
Salary: £38,553 to £42,597
Hours: 35 hours per week
Location: Flexible - Any Care Inspectorate office
Contract: Temporary until 31 March 2025
About us
We are the independent scrutiny and improvement support body for social care and social work services in Scotland. We provide assurance for people who experience care services, their families, carers and the wider public, as well as supporting delivery partners to improve the quality of care for people in Scotland. Our vision is for world-class social care and social work in Scotland, where everyone in every community experiences high-quality care, support and learning, tailored to their rights, needs and wishes.
We inspect individual care services, and we also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in their local areas.
Our desire is to achieve an effective and balanced way of working, that enables us to meet organisational needs and achieve a work-life balance that promotes wellbeing and collaboration opportunities. We are moving towards an expectation that all staff will work collaboratively, within and across teams, in person, for approximately 40% of their working week.
About the role
We are offering an excellent temporary opportunity for an energetic and creative communications coordinator to join our communications team at the Care Inspectorate. You will be a key member of our team, providing a wide range of skills, experience, knowledge, and advice to support communications activity around the safe staffing programme, and for other projects as required.
In April 2024 the new Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 came into force. The Safe Staffing Programme team are working in collaboration with stakeholders to support care services in Scotland to have the right people, in the right place, with the right skills at the right time working to ensure people experience the best health and care outcomes. The Communications Coordinator will work with the team to promote its work and engage with the sector on this important area of legislation.
About you
You will be educated to degree level or equivalent, you will have a successful record of accomplishment in communications with extensive experience of delivering a wide range of creative solutions across the broad spectrum of communication channels.
You will be highly motivated and enthusiastic with excellent interpersonal skills along with the ability to react to changing priorities and conflicting demands while building effective working relationships.
Next steps
You’ll find more information in the job profile and person specification.
If you would like more information or an informal chat about the role please contact Vanessa O'Loughlin (Communications Manager) at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please include a contact telephone number and times that would be best to reach you in your email.
If you believe that you are a suitable candidate for this post, please download and complete an application form and an equal opportunities form and submit by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 08:00 on Monday 17 June 2024
*Please note that if we receive a sufficient number of applications, the advert may close earlier on Monday 10 June 2024.
Assessment and Interviews are expected to be in person at our Dundee Headquarters office, Compass House, 11 Riverside Drive, Dundee, date to be confirmed.
Person specification
Job title: Communications Co-ordinator
Attributes
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrates a successful record of accomplishment within a relevant role.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential
- Qualifications or skills and experience at SCQF Level 9 or above.
Desirable
- Membership of a relevant professional body such as Chartered Institute of Public relations or Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Excellent communication skills.
- Excellent literacy skills.
- Consistently delivers creative solutions.
- Manages conflicting priorities and works to tight deadlines.
- Flexible and responsive, reacting positively to rapidly changing priorities and demands.
- Works on own initiative and prioritises workload.
- Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office software.
- Excellent understanding of social media in an organisational setting.
- Up-to-date knowledge, understanding and experience of the range of today’s communications disciplines and channels.
- Understands how to monitor, measure and demonstrate success through analytics and appropriate performance measures.
Desirable
- Experience using Joomla, Wordpress, Umbraco and other content management software. Knowledge of the social care sector.
Key performance outcomes
Effective communication
Essential
- Expresses ideas clearly and concisely and to adapt communication to suit different audiences.
- Produces written and verbal communication which is clear and concise.
- Listens actively to people, questions and checks understanding.
- Develops and maintains positive working relationships at all levels.
Desirable
- Plain English training or qualification.
- Copywriting or proofing training or qualification.
Objective decision making
Essential
- Understands the limits of their knowledge and experience and when to refer decisions to others.
- Acts consistently with the Care Inspectorate values to achieve the desired outcomes.
- Keeps aims and objectives consistently at the heart of decision making.
Planning and organisation
Essential
- Plans workload effectively in the short, medium and long term in conjunction with their line manager and work to strict deadlines.
- Demonstrates attention to detail in all areas.
- Shows initiative and proactively works without close supervision.
Team working
Essential
- Tolerant and fair towards others, values diversity and is non-discriminatory in their actions.
- Values and makes use of the skills, knowledge and experience of others.
- Cooperates with and supports others.
Personal accountability and responsibility
Essential
- Takes responsibility for actions.
- Maintains a high standard of work and actively looks for opportunities to improve their work.
- Demonstrates initiative within own areas of expertise.
- Ambitious and positive in quality assuring their work.
Please note – these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role. Successful applicants will be assessed against all the performance indicators used in the Performance Development Review System once established in the role.
Job profile
Job Title: Communications Co-ordinator (Safe staffing programme)
Responsible to: Communications Manager
Principal working contacts
- Communications Manager
- Communications colleagues
- Head of Corporate Policy and Communications
- Chief Nurse
- Safe staffing programme lead and team
- Managers and employees of the Care Inspectorate
- External suppliers and agencies
Job purpose
To provide communications advice and deliver communications activity to support the promotion and understanding of the safe staffing programme. Communications activity to support other projects will also be required.
Key responsibilities
- Help create and deliver a communications plan for the safe staffing programme, which aligns with the communications strategy.
- Work with the safe staffing programme team to promote its work and engage with the sector on this important area of legislation.
- Deliver a broad mix of high-quality communications solutions to tight and demanding schedules.
- Support production and promotion of the organisation’s information and promotional collateral, primarily for the safe staffing programme and for other projects as required.
- Represent external communications on project groups, taking responsibility to provide dedicated advice and support.
- Write copy in clear conversational style, following the Care Inspectorate corporate style, for a wide range of content and material, primarily for the safe staffing programme and for other projects as required.
- Edit and proof copy written by others to ensure clarity and consistency.
Relationship management
- Develop supportive and productive working relationships with colleagues.
- Ensure effective working in accordance with Care Inspectorate protocols.
- Liaise and work collaboratively with professionals and external bodies to promote the work of the Care Inspectorate and share good practice.
- Represent the Care Inspectorate as required at meetings and events.
- Ensure effective communication of the Care Inspectorate’s work with people who use care services, carers, relatives and advocates, primarily for the safe staffing programme and for other projects as required.
- Commit to the Care Inspectorate’s aims, vision and values to put people at the heart of our overall objective to improve care in Scotland.
Other duties
This job may require some travel, overnight stays and unsocial hours. This job description is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list and jobs can change and evolve over time. The post holder will be required to carry out any other duties to the equivalent level that are necessary to fulfil the purpose of the job, and to respond positively to changing business needs.
Equality impact assessments
2020
- Maximising Attendance Policy May 2020
- Learning & Development Policy May 2020
- Dignity at Work Policy May 2020
- Capability Policy May 2020
- Proposed changes to the senior inspector role November 2020
- Job Evaluation (Inspector, Senior Inspector & Team Manager) September 2020
- Involvement Policy Suite November 2020
2019
2018
- Partnership Agreement
- Further Study Policy March 2018
- LEAD/ Performance Development & Management System June 2018
2017
2016
- Grievance Policy February 2016
- Corporate Health and Safety Policy February 2016
- Zero Tolerance Policy February 2016
- Salary Protection Policy February 2016
- Workforce Change Policy February 2016
2015
Senior Improvement Adviser (Registered Nurse)
Job title: Senior Improvement Adviser (Registered Nurse)
Salary: £55,530 to £61,314 (Pro rata)
Hours: Part Time 17.5 hours
Location: Flexible (Any Care Inspectorate office)
Contract: Permanent
About us
We are the national regulator and scrutiny body responsible for providing assurance and protection for people who experience care services, their families, carers and the wider public, as well as supporting delivery partners to improve the quality of care for people in Scotland. Our vision is that people across Scotland experience high quality care that meets their needs, rights and choices.
We are a scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect individual care services, and we also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in their local areas.
Our desire is to achieve an effective and balanced way of working, that enables us to meet organisational needs and achieve a work-life balance that promotes wellbeing and collaboration opportunities. We are moving towards the expectation that all staff will work collaboratively, within and across teams, in person, for approximately 40% of their working week.
About the role
We are looking for a colleague who is a registered nurse with a passion for quality improvement to join the Health and Social Care Improvement Team (HSCIT) permanently.
Our team have quality improvement and health expertise. We use this to work strategically and operationally, with internal and external colleagues and frontline care staff. We do this so that people who experience care achieve improved health and wellbeing outcomes that matter to them.
About you
You will have all round knowledge of the health and wellbeing of adults and older people and be educated to degree level or equivalent in Nursing.
You will have significant specialist subject matter expertise and be able to combine it with an understanding of quality improvement theory/change management and its practical application in health and social care settings.
On appointment as Improvement Support Adviser (Registered Nurse), you will be a secondary authorised officer and be registered with the appropriate registration body, in this case NMC.
Registration
The successful applicant will be registered with NMC.
Next steps
You’ll find more information in the job profile and person specification.
If you would like more information or an informal chat about the role, please contact Lynn Flannigan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To apply
If you believe that you are a suitable candidate for this post, please download and complete an application form and equal opportunities form and submit it by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 08:00 on Monday 17 June 2024.
It is anticipated that interviews will be held no sooner than 2 July at our Dundee Headquarters office.
Person specification
Job title: Senior Improvement Advisor (Registered Nurse)
Attributes
Experience
Essential
- Registered General Nurse with all round knowledge of the health and wellbeing of adults and older people in addition to specialist skills and knowledge in one of the following areas:
- tissue viability
- nutrition
- promoting continence
- palliative and end of life care
- frailty
- Be a senior practitioner/manager with the ability to lead and operate at a national level.
- Experience of successfully managing multi-disciplinary and multi-agency teams across health and social care.
- Be able to provide general health and wellbeing advice, guidance to all teams in across the Care Inspectorate including early learning and childcare and young people, and signpost where appropriate to specific support.
- Have current credibility in their field, be this as a practitioner or a nationally recognised role.
- Experience of working creatively with partners to develop ideas and solutions to deliver change and improvement in a range of areas.
- Experience of developing and delivering educational programmes in a variety of formats.
- Experience of leading quality improvement projects.
Desirable
- Research experience.
- Experience of evidence based policy development.
- Experience of working closely with a variety of national bodies.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential
- Educated to degree level or equivalent in Nursing.
- Registered with the NMC.
- Hold a formal qualification in an aspect of improvement science such as Scottish Improvement Leader (ScIL) programme, ROCA/PDA, EFQM or willingness to work towards this or an equivalent quality improvement qualification.
- Commitment to own CPD.
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Enhanced professional skills in a relevant discipline with the ability to apply this into the social care context.
- Expert knowledge of the social care sector and the interface with health.
- Understanding of the importance of the involvement of people experiencing care in the co-design and co-production of quality improvement initiatives.
- Ability to work autonomously in partnership and collaborate with key stakeholders including Scottish Government, HSCPs, LAs, Health Boards and service providers in the statutory, independent and voluntary sector.
- Excellent negotiating, facilitating, influencing and coaching skills.
- Understanding of quality improvement theory/change management and its practical application in health and social care settings.
- Ability to support implementation, spread and sustainability of specific improvements.
- Ability to develop and maintain extensive internal and external communication systems.
- Ability to respectfully challenge and influence at all levels.
- Excellent communicator with the ability to translate plans into actions.
- ICT skills and ability to use Care Inspectorate systems as required.
- Politically astute.
Desirable
- Ability to set up systems to monitor improvement, analyse data and develop quality improvement solutions.
Leading others
Essential
- Ability to provide leadership, a clear sense of purpose and direction to a professional team and meet the outcomes/improvements of the programme of work.
Management of resources
Essential
- Ability to bring together the overall work of a team of staff, including staff and budget responsibilities.
- Ability to manage resources and budgets in achievement of the Care Inspectorate.
- Ability to drive continuous quality improvement and manage planning and performance processes.
Effective communication
Essential
- Articulate and positive communicator both in verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to engage, influence and lead the development of a wide range of key stakeholder relationships, both internally and externally.
- The ability to build and guide key stakeholder strategies and manage relationships to secure delivery of the programme and sustain improvements.
Impact and influence
Essential
- Demonstrates ability to influence at all levels.
- Ability to promote, lead and implement strategies and change programmes to improve the development and quality of services and reduce health and social inequalities.
- Evidence of building positive relationships, engaging and collaborating effectively with others internally and externally and at all levels.
- Demonstrates personal resilience, being able to work flexibly under pressure with stamina and tenacity to deliver results.
Desirable
- Ability to take account of wider political and organisational sensitivities to deliver strategic objectives.
Objective decision making
Essential
- The ability to assist senior/executive management to set, in consultation with others, the overall strategic agenda objectives and performance standards for the programme.
- Demonstrates analytical and systematic approach to problem solving.
- Ability to make appropriate and realistic judgments, based on relevant, up to date and verifiable information.
- The ability to take responsibility for difficult decisions and to remain resilient against possible criticism.
Please note these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role.
Job profile
Job title: Senior Improvement Adviser - Registered Nurse (focus on health and wellbeing)
Reporting to: Quality Improvement Manager (Health and Social Care Improvement Team)
Principal working contacts
Internal
- Quality Improvement Manager and Chief Nurse
- Health and Social Care Improvement Team
- Chief Inspectors
- Head of Quality Improvement and Participation
- Quality Improvement Support Team
- Involvement and Equalities Team
- Senior Leadership Team
- Scrutiny and Assurance Service Managers, Team Managers, and Inspectors
- Policy Team Intelligence Team and Communications team
External
- Scottish Government policy leads
- Service providers and care service staff
- Other regulatory, scrutiny and improvement bodies
- NHS boards staff and agencies, local authorities, partnerships, and integrated joint boards
- National specialist groups, e.g. Continence specialists, Nutrition specialists
- Members of the public and other stakeholders
- Professional Bodies and Royal Colleges
Job purpose
Working alongside the Care Inspectorate’s Chief nurse and Quality Improvement Manager and under the umbrella of Quality Improvement and with close collaboration with Scrutiny and Assurance. The post holder will promote standards and good practice in nursing-based care and support:
- Provide all round knowledge of the health and wellbeing of adults and older people in addition to specialist skills and knowledge in one of the following areas:
- tissue viability
- nutrition
- promoting continence
- palliative and end of life care
- frailty
- Provide general health and wellbeing advice, guidance to all teams in across the Care Inspectorate, and signpost where appropriate to specific support.
- Lead and develop aspects of the Care Inspectorate’s health and social care quality improvement functions based on current and emerging models of delivery that will facilitate improvements in practice in care services and improve the outcomes for people experiencing care.
- Build the capability and confidence of inspectors across inspection, complaints, and registration teams, in specific topic areas, supporting their learning and development and keeping the evidence base of practice current.
- To support and shape scrutiny methodology as needed.
- Develop resources to support the health and wellbeing of people experiencing care for use both internally and externally.
- Build and develop strategic partnerships across the health and social care landscape to support the delivery of health and wellbeing improvement advice and quality improvement support.
Key responsibilities
- To build capacity for health and wellbeing quality improvement in the care sector and in the Care Inspectorate, across all scrutiny and quality improvement activities.
- To ensure professional advice is provided and sourced to support the Care Inspectorate in the delivery of its scrutiny and improvement activities.
- To lead the development of specific health and wellbeing focused quality illustrations / indicators, tools and improvement support materials to support the current inspection frameworks for use by inspectors and in care services.
- To develop and maintain the relationships with national bodies/improvement bodies to co-create developments in health and social care improvement, developing guidance, sharing good practice, and expert advice and support.
- To lead in ensuring the development of effective practice materials for use by inspectors and care services.
- To advise on quality improvement design and delivery to ensure the scrutiny and improvement plan is met, and to determine impact, ensuring that health and wellbeing priorities are addressed.
- To provide expert advice and guidance to internal and external stakeholders on health and wellbeing improvement in social care.
- To promote the Care Inspectorate’s improvement work and to maintain the organisation’s reputation for supporting the development of high-quality, safe, compassionate care.
- To establish and maintain robust working relationships with stakeholders across the health and social care sectors.
- To maintain and further develop skills in quality improvement and safety including coaching, mentorship and facilitation of staff and managers both internally and externally.
- To challenge outdated and unsafe practice directly with service providers, sharing evidence from research and expert advice to shift practice and achieve the necessary improvement in care quality.
- To support the delivery of the Care Inspectorate’s corporate plan.
- Monitor, evaluate, and report on all key areas and tasks advising on progress and challenges regularly.
- To carry out any other reasonable tasks necessary to support the Care Inspectorate’s business.
Relationship management
- Work with the Care Inspectorate’s Chief Nurse, Quality Improvement Manager, Head of Improvement Support and Chief Inspectors to develop and facilitate a comprehensive approach to relationship management between the Care Inspectorate and various parts of the health and social care sector.
- Ensure effective communication of the Care Inspectorate’s quality improvement support role in social care to practitioners and managers in the health sector.
- Demonstrate a commitment to the Care Inspectorate’s aims, vision and values and to the Care Inspectorate’s overall objective of improving care in Scotland.
Other duties
This job may require extensive travel and involve overnight stays. This job profile is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time. Consequently, the post holder will be required to carry out any other duties to the equivalent level that are necessary to fulfil the purpose of the job, and to respond positively to changing business needs.
The post holder will be expected to work autonomously in the main but also within a group, with agreed priorities and objectives. Objectives for this post will be agreed jointly with the relevant line manager and Head of Improvement Support and will be reviewed on a regular basis.
About Us
Inspector - Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) (0)
The early learning and childcare expansion…
Role: Inspector - Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)
Location: Forth Valley, Borders, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh & Glasgow
Salary: £31,083 - £39,069 plus excellent benefits
Hours: 140 hours to be worked over a 4-week period
Contract: Permanent or 2-year secondment (would be considered)
Join us and make a difference – for you, for everyone
It’s our job to ensure care for everyone, everywhere in Scotland is as good as it can be. If you are as passionate about high-quality care as we are, and you’re experienced in your field, we’d love to hear from you.
About us
As a national scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect care services and partnerships across Scotland, report on the quality of care people experience, and support improvements in services to facilitate improvements in outcomes for people.
We inspect care services individually. We also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in local areas.
We champion high-quality care whenever we encounter it across the thousands of inspections, we carry out each year, and we work closely with all care providers to support them to improve all the time. We collaborate with other organisations too, supporting improvement across public services. Our work plays a big role in reducing health and social inequalities between people and communities.
We are looking for talented people to join us in making a difference - specialists who understand how to put people’s needs, rights and choices at the heart of delivering social services – and how to lead improvement too. Our 600 staff work with services across the public, voluntary and private sectors. We have offices across Scotland and many of our staff work from home.
About you
Whether early or established in your career, you will share our determination that care, social work and justice services should work well for people – every time. You’ll be confident about what good-quality care looks like and how to deliver it. You’ll be good at analysing information and evidence. You will have excellent writing skills for narrative inspection reports that are clear, concise and focused on outcomes. You will be confident in working with a wide range of people and at supporting and advising on improvement.
You’ll currently be working, or have significant experience in, social care, social work, health, children’s services, early learning, child protection, or community learning and development. You will be registered or eligible to register with a professional body like the SSSC, NMC or GTC.
About the role
Our care inspectors work with care services: childminders, nurseries, care homes, care at home, housing support and a host of other specialist services. A specialist in your field, you may have helped lead a service and have a strong track record in delivering quality. You’ll be adept at leading improvement and influencing others. You will work with people experiencing care, and care service providers, managers and staff.
Why join us?
We strive to be a great employer, knowing that competitive salary, leave and pension schemes are only part of that. We pride ourselves on the values we hold, person-centred; fairness; respect; efficiency and integrity - all supported with a culture of care and kindness.
We believe in collective leadership and innovation. You’ll have a lot of autonomy to manage your own work and use the professional skills you’ve honed during your career – but in new ways. Starting on day one, our learning and development support will help you become confident in the craft of scrutiny and in supporting improvement. Because a lot of your role is about sharing effective practice across Scotland, the impact you can have on experiences and outcomes for people is significant. You will draw on management and leadership skills you’ve developed in the past.
We’re proud to be a progressive, supportive employer – we’re happy to talk about flexible working with you and we’re members of the Disability Confident Scheme, aiming to make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to the workplace.
New appointments will normally be placed on the minimum grade for the role; a higher starting salary may be offered in exceptional circumstances only.
ELC expansion
The Scottish Government is committed to expanding the provision of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) from 600 hours to 1140 hours per year by 2020. The expansion of ELC is aimed to support the reduction in the poverty-related attainment gap and improve long term outcomes for children and families.
Due to the ELC expansion programme we are looking for 7 further ELC Inspectors in addition to the “business as usual” Inspector campaign launched recently.
Principles and aims
The priority for the expansion to 1140 hours is to improve children's outcomes and close the poverty-related attainment gap. In addition, the expansion aims to support parents into work, study or training. The Scottish Government's four principles of the ELC expansion are: quality, flexibility, affordability, and accessibility.
The Scottish Government has stated that quality is 'at the heart' of the expansion and that achieving a high-quality ELC experience for children is a key objective.
Use and provision
A 2018 survey found that the main reason why parents use funded ELC is that they consider it beneficial for their child's learning and development. In addition, parents reported using the funded hours to either work, increase the number of hours they work, or look for work.
Funded ELC in Scotland is delivered by a wide range of providers including nurseries, crèches and playgroups, from across the public, private and third sectors. A small number of childminders also deliver funded ELC, but the Scottish Government hopes this number will increase under the expansion to 1140 hours.
Criteria to apply
- We require you to hold a relevant qualification (minimum SCQF Level 9), register with either the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or any other relevant professional body and undertake PVG checks.
- You must also be prepared to do a Professional Development Award in Scrutiny and Improvement (Social Services) at SCQF level 10 with appropriate support from the organisation.
- You will have a minimum of three years recent and demonstrable management experience in a relevant field. You must also be willing to travel with overnight stays as required.
Before you apply
- Please contact the relevant body directly to resolve any queries you have regarding registration or eligible qualifications for registration (SSSC, NMC and so on) before submitting your application.
- For an informal chat about the job role, please contact (Who?) You or Kim Connolly, Team Manager on 07766133161
- For all other queries, please contact Human Resources at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To apply
- If you are interested, please see the minimum criteria to apply as an Inspector and the specific guidance and directions to apply. Thereafter, click on the gateway questions link to apply.
- Your completed application form (campaign number C39 only forms) and equal opportunities form should be returned to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.no later than Monday, 14 October 2019 at 8.00am.
- We anticipate that selection days will take place in the week commencing Monday, 18 November 2019.