Simon Spoerer

Current Employer/Organisation Name

Retired

Can you give us an overview of what you have done since you completed your research degree?

I moved from managing a team of social care service inspectors to the national policy and methodology team of the Commission for Social Care Inspection and then the Care Quality Commission.

How did you become interested in the area you work in?

It was a career progression from managing a team of social workers.

How did you find opportunities in the area you work in and how did the recruitment process work?

After a period as a University Tutor teaching social care inspectors on a national inspector qualification programme I saw a post in policy and methodology advertised in house and applied for it.

What does your current role involve?

I’m now retired, when I was working my last post was as adult social care policy manager for CQC, focused on developing policy and methodology in relation to the regulation of social care services (with some time also spent on policy and methodology in relation to the regulation of healthcare services).

What skills are involved in your work and how did your research degree help develop them?

Project and programme management, workflow engineering, policy analysis and development, engagement with and involvement of stakeholders across the health and social care sector, testing and assessment of policies and methodologies (and related hypotheses), knowledge and experience of good practice in relation to patient safety and safeguarding. My degree (Masters) taught me a lot about researching a topic, reviewing research, developing and testing hypotheses, developing and referencing questions and arguments, understanding how UK health and social care practice and governance developed over the centuries, and how that influenced its current practice and assumptions.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I retired in 2020, but really enjoyed and thrived on working at the cutting edge of new policy and methodology development. I enjoyed the creativity this allowed – and demanded, the independence and responsibility I was given, and the opportunities to work creatively with stakeholders and colleagues across the sector.

What are the challenges in your role?

As ever, resources were always an issue, together with how to get the most out of every pound in the budget while still ensuring maximum efficient stakeholder engagement and involvement in the time available.

What has surprised you about your role?

How hard it was to achieve genuine change and winning hearts and minds – both internal and external stakeholders often behaved like vested interests rather than open minded colleagues. Genuine engagement with service users could also be very hard – communication could be very difficult, and was often dominated by their representatives in an unhelpful way.

Did you engage in any additional activities or roles (i.e. organising conferences, entering PGR showcase, being a PGR Rep etc.) during your research degree, and how did these help prepare you for a career beyond academia?

No.

What skills and experiences have been most useful for your career?

Understanding literature review, hypothesis development and testing, and setting out an argued proposition or proposal.

What advice would you give to a current student who wishes to pursue your career?

Learn about good practice stakeholder engagement.

What are your plans for the future?

To really enjoy my retirement!