CHC Lead

We are seeking two experienced and dynamic leaders to join Adult Social Care as NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) Leads. These are high-impact, strategic roles at the interface of health and social care, where your expertise will directly improve outcomes for residents while protecting vital public resources. This is an opportunity to shape how Gloucestershire works with system partners, ensuring fair, lawful and timely CHC decision-making for people with complex needs. About the Role As the CHC Lead, you will provide senior oversight of all CHC activity across Adult Social Care. Acting as the single point of expertise and accountability, you will lead on complex cases, disputes and appeals ensuring the council is not exposed to unnecessary financial risk and importantly, that individuals are supported through the application process. You will:

• Lead and coordinate CHC disputes and appeals, ensuring timely escalation and resolution
• Provide expert challenge to NHS partners where eligibility decisions are inconsistent with evidence or the National Framework
• Maintain oversight of high-cost and high-risk cases, intervening early to prevent drift and delay
• Work closely with finance colleagues to track expenditure and protect budgets
• Strengthen CHC pathways within Preparing for Adulthood (PFA), improving transition outcomes for young people
• Build strong, effective relationships with the Integrated Care Board (ICB), NHS England and partners
Why This Role Matters CHC decisions represent a significant and growing area of financial and operational risk. Delays, disputes and inconsistent application of eligibility criteria can result in the council funding care that should be NHS-funded, often at substantial cost. These roles are designed to provide the leadership, grip and expertise needed to:
• Reduce unnecessary spend on high-cost care packages
• Improve timeliness and quality of decisions
• Strengthen system partnership working
• Deliver better experiences for residents and families, Our values are at the heart of everything we do and how we treat each other. They provide essential guiding principles about the way that we work and set the tone for our culture, and identify what we, as an organisation, care about.
If you hold the same behaviours and approach, then we want to hear from you! In exchange, we will provide you with full training and support to help you succeed in your role. Gloucestershire County Council Adult Social Care practise the Three Conversation approach, a model that re-emphasises focus on people, their strengths and the networks and community around them. What We Offer
• A high-profile leadership role with real system influence
• The opportunity to shape and improve CHC practice across the county
• A supportive and forward-thinking Adult Social Care leadership environment
• Ongoing professional development and career progression, It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a 'customer facing role' must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.
Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early due to the volume of applications received. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible. If you are an Internal applicant and consider yourself to have a disability
• as per the Equality Act (2010), please declare this in an email to recruitment@gloucestershire.gov.uk, as this is NOT currently covered in the application due to a technical error. By providing this information, you can choose to be considered for a guaranteed interview under our Disability Confident pledge if you meet all essential criteria. It also enables the recruiting manager to arrange any reasonable adjustments you may need during the process.
• a disability is defined as: a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term (more than 12 months) adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
  
  You will be an experienced professional with strong leadership capability and a track record of working in complex, high-risk environments.
You will bring:
• Senior-level experience within Adult Social Care, health or integrated services
• In-depth knowledge of the CHC National Framework and relevant legislation (Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, Human Rights Act)
• Experience of managing complex, high-cost cases and leading disputes or appeals
• Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to present robust, evidence-based arguments
• Financial awareness and the ability to link practice decisions to budget impact
• A commitment to strengths-based, person-centred practice
You will be resilient, highly organised, and confident in challenging situations-able to influence at senior levels across organisational boundaries.

Here are some of the benefits we offer in return for your hard work.


• 25.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays
• Membership of a Local Government Pension Scheme
• Agile working with a mix of office and home working
• Regular formal and informal support
• Safe, supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
• Access to training opportunities, enabling you to develop your skills and progress your career
• Discounts at a number of major supermarket chains and high street retailers
• Gloucestershire Salary Sacrifice Green Car Scheme (T&C's apply)
• GCC's Cycle to Work Salary
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential, counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone.
• Strong emphasis on a supportive working environment and developing our employees with 94% having participated in their annual appraisal and regular health and wellbeing events.