Specialist Advisor - Medicines (Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians)

Care Quality Commission; England; On-site; GBP 48,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

Care Quality Commission seeks Specialist Advisor - Medicines (Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians) to provide expert medicines advice during inspections on a national basis. The role is ad hoc, in addition to existing duties, and requires DBS-compliant professionals who can contribute to medicines optimisation and regulatory assessments.

Applicants should be currently registered with GPhC, actively practising, and capable of engaging with staff, service users and stakeholders to support

Qualifications

• Substantively employed as a Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician.
• Current valid GPhC registration.
• Active in current clinical practice.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely, robust and objective specialist advice to CQC staff.
• Accompany CQC representatives on inspections and related activities.
• Review inspection reports with evidence-based findings and regulatory alignment.
• Maintain impartiality, integrity and objectivity in advisory activities.
• Ensure confidentiality and compliance with CQC policies.

Skills

Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician

Medicines optimisation

Clinical practice

Regulatory & inspection knowledge

Education

GPhC registration

Job description

Specialist Advisor - Medicines (Pharmacists and PharmacyTechnicians)

Location: National DailyRate: £300 (£268 day rate + £32/day holiday pay) AdHoc: As and when required ClosingDate: Sunday 11th October 2026 at 11.59pm

Are you committed to helping us regulate health and socialcare in England?

When you think about what drives you every day in your job and whatkeeps you motivated and passionate about your work, what comes to mind?

For more than 3,000 people at CQC, we end each day knowing that wehave made a difference to the lives of those most in need in our communities.We make sure that health and social care services provide people with safe,effective, compassionate, equitable and high-quality care, while encouragingservices to improve.

We are looking for people who are caring, demonstrate integrity,aspire to excellence and are committed to equitable and inclusive services andcare to join us and share in this sense of achievement.

If you would like to help us make a positive impact on health andsocial care in England and deliver an excellent service to the public, thenread on.

Why this could be a great role for you...

We are looking for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians currentlyin active clinical practice to strengthen our team of Specialist Advisors. Thisrole is ad hoc and would be undertaken in addition to your current role.

This is a great opportunity to drive improvement in medicinesoptimisation by delivering specialist advice as part of the inspection andassessment programme. The role offers flexibility, alongside the opportunity tomake a positive impact on people's lives and the quality of services.

If you are passionate about ensuring that people receive their medicines safely andeffectively, we would like to hear from you.

What You Will Bring...

If you're a pharmacist, you will have five years post registrationexperience within your specialist sector. If you're a pharmacy technician, thiswill be seven years post registration.

We welcome those who are deeply passionate about quality inhealthcare services and who wish to make a lasting contribution to improvingthe experiences of service users and families through the delivery of effectiveregulation.

You will have relevant knowledge and experience that will help youcollate and analyse evidence as part of the inspection team. You should be askilled communicator with the ability to engage with staff, service users andstakeholders at every level. You should also have up-to-date knowledge ofcurrent clinical guidance, standards and regulations.

Please note that all successful Specialist Advisor applicants willbe required to participate in both a generic and medicines specific induction.

Essential Criteria...

• Substantively employed as a Pharmacist or Pharmacy Technician.
• Current valid GPhC registration.
• Active in current clinical practice.
• Strong understanding of the health and/or social care sector.
• A track record of working successfully with senior teams in large organisations.
• Proven expertise in one or more of the following areas:
• Clinical searches (including subsequent records reviews and clinical interpretation of these) in NHS primary care
• Community health services
• Dispensing doctors
• Independent health services, includingonline health

WhereSpecialist Advisors are salaried and employed within a CQC registered service, thatorganisation must currently hold a CQC rating of either Good or Outstanding.

Key Responsibilities...

• Provide timely, robust and objective specialist advice to CQC staff through verbal and written communication.
• Accompany CQC representatives on inspections and related activities at identified provider organisations, providing relevant advice and input within your specialist area to support appropriate judgements.
• Review inspection reports in a timely manner following inspection activity, ensuring that findings, evidence, recommendations and ratings are accurate, evidence-based and aligned with the outcomes of the inspection and the relevant regulatory framework.
• Demonstrate the highest standards of impartiality, integrity and objectivity in relation to advice and activities undertaken on CQC's behalf.
• Adopt an open and transparent approach in all business activities and in the provision of advice undertaken on CQC's behalf.
• Ensure all work carried out is within the required scope and that relevant CQC policies and guidance are adhered to.
• Maintain the confidentiality of information accessed in the course of work undertaken for CQC.

Please note that this role is subject to a satisfactory DBS check.

Being a Specialist Advisor

This role can be undertaken as either a Casual Worker, paiddirectly to a personal bank account by the CQC for attending in your own time(non-working days, annual leave) or as a seconded position if your service isregistered with the CQC and agrees to the secondment. Seconded SpAs'organisations agree in principle that their employees can attend CQCassessments and the seconded SpA seeks their line manager's permission to takeleave to attend individual inspections, which can last from one to three days.The seconded SpA's organisation then invoices the CQC for the time the SpAspent away from their substantive role. Please note this is invoiced at the SpAday rate.

You will be offered opportunities to support assessments with 6weeks' notice whenever possible, however, you will also be contacted for moreshort notice support on occasions. You are under no obligation to accept anassessment should it be offered and it not be convenient for you. We are notable to guarantee you a set number of assessment opportunities in a one-yearperiod. You may be offered one a month or one in the whole year depending onthe focus of the assessment programme.

If successful at interview we aim to conclude your pre-engagementchecks within a 6-8 week window, please complete all forms and take actions toassist the team in achieving this. You will be provided with a dedicatedonboarding peer who will support you in completing pre-engagement checks andwill be on hand to answer any questions you have. You will be required to havea current DBS certificate under 3 years old, and we require references goingback three years. If you've been with the same employer for three years'then we'll only require one reference.

Expected time commitment for formal assessments...

Approximate commitment: Up to 5 days per assessment

• Must be able to commit to at least 2 full assessments within a 12-month period.
• Preparation and planning calls prior to assessment activity.
• Fieldwork activity, including a minimum of 2 days on site per assessment.
• Ad hoc advice and input relating to documentation and interviews as required.
• Input into quality assurance activities, typically 6 to 8 hours per assessment.

Individual Adjustments

We are committed to being open and transparent about our processesand endeavour to provide every candidate with the opportunity to perform attheir best throughout the recruitment process.

We seek to support candidates in identifying potential challengesand will work with them to identify and facilitate reasonable adjustments whereappropriate.

Should you require assistance or wish to request an adjustment atany stage of the recruitment process, please contact a member of the team viaemail at: [e-mail].

Sponsorship

This role is not open to applications from individuals whorequire sponsorship under the points-based immigration system.

If you apply for this role and are found to require sponsorship,your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employmentwithdrawn.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

CQC is committed to promoting a fair and inclusive workplace whereall our people can flourish and reach their full potential. We know thatdiverse teams create a more innovative and productive environment, and wetherefore encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, sex, genderidentity or expression, religion or belief, disability, ethnicity or sexualorientation.

Application Guidance

Candidates must ensure that all information provided within theirapplication is their own work and is factually accurate. Any examples includedmust be drawn from personal experience.

CQC upholds honesty and integrity as core values. If evidence ofplagiarism, AI-generated responses that do not reflect a candidate's ownexperience, or content copied from other sources is identified, applicationsmay be withdrawn.