Salary range: £98,000 - £103,000 FTE per annum – if part time, please note this will be pro rata.
Contracted Hours: Full-time 37 hours per week or Part-time (minimum 2 days per week).
Contract Type: 2x Fixed Term/Secondment opportunities, for 12 months.
Location: Home based with travel as required
Closing Date: Tuesday 1 September 2026 at 11.59pm
Make a difference
Every role at CQC contributes to our mission. If you’re looking for a new role in our Mental Health Directorate that gives a true sense of meaning and purpose, then you’ve found it! As a Second Opinion Appointed Doctor (SOAD), you will use your clinical expertise and experience to protect the rights and wellbeing of patients detained under the Mental Health Act.
You’ll step into situations where your independent opinion really matters, helping to ensure people receive treatment that is appropriate to their individual circumstances, medically necessary, and respectful of their views and wishes. Your decisions will directly safeguard patients against inappropriate treatment, inform treatment plans and improve outcomes for patients when it matters most.
As a Second Opinion Appointed Doctor (SOAD) in the Mental Health Directorate, you will assess complex treatment plans and decide whether proposed care under the Mental Health Act is appropriate, balancing clinical need with patient rights.
As a Second Opinion Appointed Doctor (SOAD) in the Mental Health Directorate, you will carry out independent second opinions through hospital visits or remote assessments, to ensure safe and lawful treatment decisions.
You’ll play an important part in delivering our mission. In this role, you’ll:
Carry out independent assessments: Review patient records, meet with patient’s privately where possible, and consider information from clinical teams to make balanced, evidence-based decisions.
We will be looking for specific skills, knowledge and experience in your application form:
Bring your experience to a role in CQC that really makes a difference.
To progress your application, you’ll need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK. Without valid right to work you won’t be eligible for the role. We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. Some roles may also be subject to a satisfactory DBS check.
If you apply, you’ll need to create a profile and complete an online application form. Your application will be completely anonymous. Please see our information for applicants for more details on the process. We contact every applicant to let them know the outcome of their application, so you will hear from us whether you are shortlisted.
You can read the full details of the role in the Job Description.
If you’d like to have an informal chat about the role you can contact – Craig Jennings, MHA Operations Manager – SOAD Service: [email protected].
We offer a wide range of benefits, including:
Discount schemes (including eligibility for Blue Light card, costing £4.99 and valid for 2 years), reward vouchers, car leasing and more!
Please see our benefits page for the full list.
We know job descriptions can feel intimidating. Research shows they can cause some people to doubt whether they’re a good fit. This happens more often to people from underrepresented groups (e.g. ethnic minority backgrounds). If this role interests you, we encourage you to apply. Your unique perspective, skills, and experience could be exactly what we need.
We want every candidate to feel supported and able to do their best. If you need adjustments to our process, we’ll work with you to remove any barriers. Visit our accessibility page for more on this. If you’d like to chat, please contact [email protected].
We promote a workplace where fairness, respect and inclusion are a priority. See our ED&I page for more about this.
We welcome applications from everyone, and colleagues can find support and community among our many employee networks. This includes people of any:
We know AI tools can be great for research and refining ideas, but we want to learn about you. If you use AI or Chatbots to help you with your application, keep these points in mind:
