HM Inspectorate of Prisons – Inspector (Healthcare)
Closing date: 15 September
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We are looking for an Inspector (Healthcare) to inspect prisons and other forms of custody. The inspector is the pivotal role within our organisation, inspecting the conditions and treatment prisoners and detainees experience whilst they are held in custody. They do these using criteria we call Expectations, which describe the standards establishments should achieve.
Inspectors must be confident and be able to interact in the field with detainees, staff and leaders during an inspection. They must be able to analyse complex information from a range of sources and determine accurate and objective judgements under time pressure. They also need the ability to write up key findings in a clear, concise and evidence-based way. These roles require excellent team players who can support colleagues when working as part of an inspection team but are also able to spend long periods inspecting and working alone.
Most inspections take place over two weeks, so the role of an inspector requires a considerable amount of time working away from home. This will sometimes include leaving on Sunday afternoon to start work early on a Monday. If you are attending the full inspection week. It is essential that inspectors are very flexible, but the Inspectorate will offer a balanced workload that provides time at home between inspections. Across the year, you are likely to complete on average 18 or 20 weeks away on inspection. When not inspecting, time will be used for report writing, project work and other tasks as required.
Frequent travel within the UK (and possibly abroad) will be required, and you will spend at least one week in three away on inspection, as well as travelling for meetings and other events. You will also need to be available to come to London for internal and external meetings on a regular basis. A preparedness to travel and work away from home is a key requirement of the role. Find out more about the responsibilities and essential knowledge, experience and skills.
Why become a prison inspector? Watch this video to find out about current inspectors’ experiences and listen to the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, and Inspection Team Leader, Hindpal Singh Bhui, discuss how inspection findings lead to action: Our purpose, process and impact – HM Inspectorate of Prisons
Associate Inspector
We are currently looking to increase our pool of fee-paid sessional Healthcare Inspectors (Associate Inspectors)
Essential Knowledge, Experience and Skills:
- A registered health care qualification
- Knowledge/experience of clinical practice/managing within criminal justice health and social care settings and/or
- Experience of using clinical governance systems within criminal justice health and social care services or health care provider services
- Senior level experience within the health services or criminal justice health services
- Experience of developing or influencing policy, in relation to health and social care in the criminal justice system.
- A valid driving licence and the ability to travel extensively across the country, and potentially overseas, spending up to a week away at one time.
Desirable Criteria:
- Experience of scrutinising/monitoring custodial environments
- Experience of working with people at senior levels
- Experience of developing or influencing policy
- An interest in working across the range of custodial environments but mainly in prisons
- Experience that demonstrates support for and understanding of the Inspectorate’s work and values
- Experience that demonstrates excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to write high-quality evidence-based reports at pace
- Sound interpersonal, communication and relationship building skills
- The ability to thrive working as part of the inspection team, but also able to spend long periods inspecting and working alone
You will be working in difficult and challenging environments. The best candidates will offer a combination of the following skills:
- Think in an objective and analytical manner with the ability to analyse a range of oral, written and statistical evidence
- Make accurate judgements under pressure and support your findings with evidence
- Be committed to continuous improvement, in an environment where performance matters
- Adhere to HMIP’s code of conduct and core values at all times
- Be flexible, adaptive and creative in solving problems and dealing with change
- Be resilient in the field and meet tight deadlines
- Deliver difficult messages in a constructive manner
- Be able to manage confidently potentially difficult and challenging situations
- Be able to engage constructively with prisoners
- Be extremely flexible and supportive to colleagues
- Work closely with colleagues, custodial staff and detainees throughout inspections
- Experience of one or more of the following: criminal justice work, custodial, education, social care, healthcare, probation or resettlement settings including the delivery of services to women
- Understanding of policy, debates associated with detention and custodial environments
- A background in inspection or investigation
The duties will include:
- Inspect the conditions and treatment of prisoners and detainees, in different custodial settings using HMIP’s own independent Expectations inspection criteria.
- Interact with detainees and staff throughout inspections, seeking their views.
- At speed, interpret complex information and draw accurate and objective conclusions from a range of evidence sources.
- Draft key findings in a clear, defensible and evidence-based way.
- Discuss, evaluate and debate findings with the team leader and other team members.
- Support colleagues throughout the inspection weeks and constructively contribute to on-site discussions and judgements.
- Write up your evidence-based findings clearly and concisely the week after an inspection, to tight timescales and wordcounts (and using information technology).
- Other inspection duties as directed by the HM Chief Inspector of Prisons.
To apply for the role, please submit a C.V (maximum of 2 sides of A4) and a covering statement, setting out your interest in the role and how you meet the requirements for the position (maximum of 2 sides of A4).
Please send the documents to: HMIPrisons.Enquiries@hmiprisons.gov.uk (with Healthcare Associate Recruitment in the subject line of the email).
Applications need to be received by 23:59 on 1st September 2026