Interview prep for NHS and care jobs

What you get

• The questions you are likely to be asked

  For your job and the employer: values questions, clinical or work scenarios, and the ones panels ask people applying from abroad.

• Answers built from your experience

  Drafted from what you send me, in the STAR shape panels listen for, so you can practise them out loud.

• Feedback on your own answers

  Send me up to three answers in your own words and I tell you what to keep, cut and add.

• A checklist for video interviews from abroad

  Time zones, camera and sound, what documents to have to hand, and how to open and close.

Common NHS interview questions

NHS and care interviews mix questions about the NHS values, scenarios from the job, and your experience. These eight come up again and again, for nurses, healthcare assistants and care workers alike.

1. 1. Tell us about yourself and why you applied for this role.

   Almost every panel opens with it. Two minutes: where you trained, what you do now, why this job.

2. 2. How do the NHS values show in the way you work?

   Trusts recruit against the values in the NHS Constitution. Pick one or two and give a real example.

3. 3. Tell us about a time you raised a concern about patient safety.

   They want to hear that you speak up, who you told, and what changed.

4. 4. Several patients need you at once. How do you decide what to do first?

   A prioritisation question. Talk through how you assess, escalate and delegate.

5. 5. Describe a mistake you made and what you learned from it.

   Honesty and reflection matter more than the mistake itself.

6. 6. How do you handle a difficult conversation with a patient or a relative?

   Communication and compassion, with a concrete example.

7. 7. What do you know about our trust or our home?

   Read their website and latest inspection report before the interview.

8. 8. Why do you want to work in the UK, and how will you settle in?

   Common for applicants from abroad. Be specific about the job, the team and your plans.

The NHS values

The NHS Constitution sets out six values, and many trusts score answers against them:

• Working together for patients
• Respect and dignity
• Commitment to quality of care
• Compassion
• Improving lives
• Everyone counts

Answer with STAR

For “tell us about a time” questions, give the Situation, the Task you had, the Action you took and the Result. Keep the action the longest part, and say “I”, not “we”.

No interview yet? See NHS jobs at licensed sponsors or build a UK-style CV free.