Communication: NHS Consultant Interview Questions

Communication is scored throughout a consultant interview, and asked about directly through complaints, difficult conversations and breaking bad news. Panels want a real conversation, not a description of good practice.

Updated 26 October 2026

How to answer

Describe one conversation that was actually hard, step through what you did, and say how it ended and what you would do differently. For complaints, spend as long on the staff you supported as on the patient. Mention the duty of candour where it applies.

Frameworks: SPIKES for bad news and difficult conversations; SBAR for handover

  • SBAR Situation: who the patient is and the one line problem, Background: the relevant history, Assessment: what you think is going on and how unwell they are, Recommendation: what you want the senior to do and when. Full guide →
  • STAR Situation in a sentence, Task: what you had to do, Action: what you did in the first person, Result: the outcome with a number where there is one. Add Reflection for STARR. Full guide →
  1. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the head of nursing or senior nurseSTARR

    Talk us through a recent complaint you were involved in or investigated, and how you supported the people involved.

    Describe the complaint, what the investigation found, how the patient or family were kept informed, and what changed. Spend as long on the staff involved as on the patient: how you supported them and what the duty of candour required.

  2. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the consultant colleague in the specialtySPIKES

    Tell us about a difficult conversation you have had with a patient or relative.

    SPIKES: setting, perception, invitation, knowledge, empathy, strategy. Describe one real conversation, what made it hard, what you did at each step, and how it ended. Reflect on what you would do differently.

  3. Often askedUsually asked by the medical directorSPIKES

    How would you break bad news to a patient and their family?

    Walk through SPIKES as you would actually do it, including who you would want in the room, how you would check what they already know, and how you would close with a plan and a named contact. Mention the follow up.

  4. Often askedUsually asked by the HR or people directorSTARR

    What makes you a good communicator? Give us an example of your communication changing an outcome.

    Pick an example where your communication changed a decision or an outcome: a handover that prevented harm, a conversation that avoided a complaint, a presentation that won a resource. Say what you did differently from the norm.

  5. Often askedUsually asked by the service or operations managerSTARR

    You have a full list and are called away to an emergency or to help a colleague. How do you handle the patients and staff left behind?

    Patient safety first, then the people left behind. Say who you would hand over to, what you would tell the theatre team and the waiting patients, and how you would decide whether the list can continue. Close with how you would follow up afterwards.

  6. Often askedUsually asked by the lay chair or non executive directorSTARR

    How would you explain a complex clinical decision to a board member with no clinical background?

    Lead with the decision and its consequence for patients, then the evidence in plain language, then the trade off. One analogy is fine; jargon is not. Say how you would check they had understood.

Other topics

Contribute to the bank

Recently interviewed? Tell us what you were asked. Every reported question goes into the ranking that decides which questions appear here and how often they come up in practice sessions.