Clinical scenario: NHS Consultant Interview Questions

Consultant panels test judgement rather than knowledge: the complication you own, the colleague's plan you disagree with, the department that is full. They want to hear decisions and what you changed afterwards.

Updated 26 October 2026

How to answer

Decide and explain the decision. Own the complication plainly, describe the change and how you checked it worked. Be honest about gaps in your training and how you will close them; panels respect candour and distrust claims of complete readiness.

Frameworks: SAFER for scenarios, with the decision carried at Fix; STARR for the complication that changed your practice

  • SAFER See the patient, Assess systematically with ABCDE, Fix what you can and decide, Escalate with a clear request in SBAR or ISBAR, Review: the patient told, the handover, the documentation and what you would do if the first plan failed. Full guide →
  1. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the consultant colleague in the specialtySAFER

    Tell us about a complication or clinical case that changed your practice.

    One case, told briefly, with the complication owned. Then the change: what you did, how you checked it worked, and whether it spread beyond your own practice. This is the question that separates insight from defensiveness.

  2. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the clinical director or clinical leadSAFER

    How do you keep your clinical skills and knowledge up to date?

    • Follow-up: Give us a recent example of changing your practice because of new evidence.

    Describe a system: journals, guidelines, national audits, courses, appraisal, teaching others. Then one recent example of changing your practice because of new evidence. Specific beats comprehensive.

  3. Often askedUsually asked by the clinical director or clinical leadSAFER

    A patient is transferred to you from another unit and you do not agree with their treatment plan. What do you do?

    Review the patient yourself, talk to the referring team before changing anything, and make the decision you believe is right while documenting why. Say how you would raise a concern about the other team's plan through the right channels.

  4. Often askedUsually asked by the consultant colleague in the specialtySAFER

    Tell us about the most difficult clinical situation you have faced.

    Choose a situation that tested your judgement rather than one that tested your luck. Describe the decision, who you involved and the outcome, then what it taught you about your limits.

  5. Often askedUsually asked by the clinical director or clinical leadSAFER

    Have you had enough training for this post? Where are the gaps, and how will you address them?

    Yes, and be honest about the gaps. Name one or two areas where you would want support in the first year and how you would get it: mentoring, a colleague's list, a course. Panels respect candour here and distrust claims of complete readiness.

  6. Often askedUsually asked by the consultant colleague in the specialtySAFER

    How do you assess clinical risk, and how do you go about managing it?

    Describe how you assess risk for an individual patient and for a service, how you communicate it, and how you reduce it. One example from your practice, with the outcome, makes this real.

  7. Often askedUsually asked by the service or operations managerSAFER

    Your assessment area is full and two more patients are waiting to be seen. How do you manage the situation?

    Prioritise by acuity, delegate what can be delegated, escalate early to the manager and the site team, and keep the patients informed. Say what you would do after the shift to stop it happening again.

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