investigator Remote
Job description
Grade B - £37,694 (National Framework) or £42,853 (if you are London office based or homebased and live within the boundary of the M25). There is also an additional homeworking allowance of £529 per annum for those working from home.
Contracted Hours: Full time 37 hours per week - part time hours will be considered
Contract Type: 1 x Permanent role
1 x Secondment/FTC for 12 months
Location - Homebased - Flexible
Closing date: Sunday 30th July 2023 at 11.59pm
Are you committed to helping us regulate health and social care within England?
When thinking about what drives you every day in your job, what keeps you motivated and passionate about your work what comes to mind? For 3000+ people at the CQC we end each day knowing that we have made a difference to the lives of those most in need in our communities. We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and encourage care services to improve. We are looking for people who are caring, demonstrate integrity and work well as part of a team to join with us and share in this sense of achievement. If you would like to help us make a positive impact to health and social care within England, then read on.
Why this could be a great role for you….
The National Enforcement team brings together criminal and civil enforcement expertise into one team. The team provides cohesive oversight of enforcement and regulatory challenges to ensure that the organisation is learning and improving – in relation to methodology, process and decision-making.
What we do:
We are subject matter experts in enforcement
We share best practice and learning across organisation
We support colleagues to take enforcement action
We deal with challenges from providers.
What we can offer you...
Your health and wellbeing are important to us and are supported through generous annual leave (starting at 27 days and rising with service to 32.5 days, plus 8 Bank Holidays), a cycle to work scheme, discounted gym vouchers and access to a free employee assistance service 24 hours a day. We also understand the importance of financial health and offer membership of the NHS pension scheme, contributing about 14% of basic salary. You will also be able to access discounts to supermarkets, high street stores, electronics, fleet cars, plus we also have an internal reward scheme which could see you earn yourself a voucher or two! All of our Homeworkers are also kitted out with everything they need to comfortably work from home.
We want to support you to succeed and be your very best, with opportunities for training and development along with the support of experienced managers and mentors.
We want to make working for CQC a great experience for everyone, and to role model a diverse and representative culture. To support an inclusive environment where colleagues feel empowered to bring their whole self to work, we support a variety of staff networks, including the Race Equality Network, LGBT+ Equality Network, Carers Equality Network, Disability Equality Network and Gender Equality network.
What you will bring…
Working as part of CQCs National Enforcement team, you will act as the investigation lead overseeing the compilation of case files in line with criminal procedure rules, CQC guidance on processes and policies and national legislation.
This will involve the completion of relevant case documents, presentation and collation of evidence and disclosure material as well as engagement with court process and sanction delivery. You will work closely with operations and CQCs Legal Team to ensure that investigations are completed within timescales and to a high standard. You may also need to attend court hearings as necessary.
You will also facilitate the smooth and timely progression of criminal cases by taking the lead on investigations: planning and coordinating the investigations; gathering additional evidence required; taking responsibility for ensuring high quality case file preparation and evidential review; producing investigation report/case file with recommendations to the appropriate decision makers for prosecution decisions.
Are you ready for this exciting new challenge?
Accountabilities:
. Work closely with operational teams and lawyers to ensure the integrity of evidence and to protect the independence of the prosecutor.
. As the lead Investigator, ensure compliance with CPIA, maintain overall responsibility for the planning and delivery of the case investigation.
. Undertake civil and criminal enforcement investigations, to evidence potential breaches of the HSCA, including responsibility for:
- identifying and following further lines of enquiry;
- pro-actively identifying any evidential deficiencies and working to remedy these;
- leading and directing colleagues, including inspectors;
- conduct Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) interviews when infringements are suspected obtaining witness statements, questioning suspects and producing written disclosure requests in lieu of interview.
. Work closely with operational teams and lawyers to ensure the integrity of evidence and to protect the independence of the prosecutor.
. As the lead Investigator, ensure compliance with CPIA, maintain overall responsibility for the planning and delivery of the case investigation.
. Undertake civil and criminal enforcement investigations, to evidence potential breaches of the HSCA, including responsibility for:
- identifying and following further lines of enquiry;
- pro-actively identifying any evidential deficiencies and working to remedy these;
- leading and directing colleagues, including inspectors;
- conduct Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) interviews when infringements are suspected obtaining witness statements, questioning suspects and producing written disclosure requests in lieu of interview;
- undertaking Achieve Best Evidence (ABE) interviews;
- acting as family/victim liaison;
- building the case file with supporting evidence and making a recommendation to lawyers for the Two Stage Legal Test;
- using professional knowledge and skills to produce a report for each case with evidentially sound and proportionate recommendations for the decision maker as to whether to take the proposed enforcement action, based on the sufficiency of evidence, the strength of the case and the public interest.
. Actively engage with all parts of the CQC, to contribute to the delivery of a successful prosecution.
. Maintain oversight of all files and file quality and, by proactively monitoring case files awaiting submission, provide effective local governance to ensure timeliness.
. Produce and maintain evidence register and maintain an “unused material” schedule of sensitive and non-sensitive material, in line with current CQC guidance.
. Produce and maintain accurate and up to date records of all work undertaken including evidence registers and disclosure record sheets.
. Undertake the full responsibilities of Disclosure Officer.
. Supporting inspectors represent the Commission in court including coroners.
. Uses professional knowledge and expertise, to advise and influence on enforcement and developmental changes.
. Encourage a culture that values openness, honesty, rigour and challenge to embed the CQC values and behaviours.
. Raise awareness and improve practice in respect of Equality and Diversity; challenge discrimination and promote human rights internally for CQC and externally for people who use services.
. Involvement (after training) in the conduct of searches, surveillance and other operations as necessary and in accordance with PACE and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).
. Promote a strong data culture across CQC in line with the organisational data strategy.
. Role model inclusive behaviours in everyday interactions.
. Promote a culture of respect and fairness and understand personal responsibilities around delivering against CQC diversity and inclusion strategy.
. Demonstrate competence and support others to achieve behavioural excellence, ensuring yourself and those you work with are the best they can be.
. Role model and support others to instil our values into everything that we do.
Essential Skills and Experience:
. Experience of working in a criminal investigation environment, a legal environment or other regulatory enforcement agency, with an understanding of the criminal justice process.
. Experience of managing complex workload with competing deadlines.
. Well-organised and methodical with high attention to detail, strong analytical skills, triage and risk assess information, with a view to appropriate escalation.
. Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, including the ability to relate to and communicate with people at all levels and in multiple settings.
. Proven experience in written conclusion of a criminal investigation.
. Working knowledge and good understanding of Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), in particular Codes C & E.
. Understanding of Human Rights Act.
. Knowledge of the Victims Code of Practice.
For an informal discussion or further information on the role, please contact: Vanessa King, Enforcement Manager at [email protected] or Rachel Marlow, Enforcement Manager @ [email protected].
This role is NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.
We are committed to being open and transparent around our processes and we endeavour to offer every candidate the opportunity to perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. We seek to support candidates to identify potential challenges and work with them to identify and facilitate reasonable adjustments as appropriate. Should you require assistance and/or would like to request a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact a member of the team via email: [email protected]
CQC is committed to promoting a fair and inclusive workplace where all our people can flourish and reach their full potential. We know diverse teams allow for a more creative and productive environment and therefore encourage applications from everyone regardless of: age, gender/sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Our Values
Excellence – Meeting our challenge to be a high-performing organisation
Caring – Treating everyone with dignity and respect
Integrity – Demonstrating our passion for ‘doing the right thing’
Teamwork – Enabling us to be the best we can
