Obstetrics and gynaecology: NHS Consultant Interview Questions

The obstetrics and gynaecology questions that sit on top of the consultant appointments core: clinical scenarios, the system and governance questions specific to the specialty, and presentation titles.

Updated 7 November 2026

The structures these questions are marked on

  • 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 →
  • The What it is in a sentence, Why it matters with a fact, What it means for this organisation and specialty, What I would do at my level and how I would measure it. 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 →

Clinical scenario

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.

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

    Your unit has had two serious incidents in a month. What do you do as the new consultant?

    See the unit and the people. Assess what happened in each case and what links them. Fix the immediate risk. Escalate through the governance route and support the families and the staff involved. Review: the learning, the culture, and whether the unit is safe today.

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

    A woman declines the caesarean you have recommended for fetal compromise. How do you lead the conversation?

    Capacity and information, her reasons, the risks explained plainly, the alternatives, and respect for her decision. Involve a second consultant if needed, document carefully, and plan safe care whatever she decides.

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

    You are the consultant on call. There is a massive obstetric haemorrhage in one theatre and a cord prolapse arriving. What do you do?

    Decide where you are needed first, allocate the registrar and the second team, call in help, escalate to the anaesthetist and the haematologist, and keep the woman and partner informed. Debrief the team.

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

    A midwife tells you a colleague dismisses her concerns about fetal monitoring. What do you do?

    Listen, check the facts, act on any immediate risk, speak to the colleague, and escalate if needed. Say how you would build a culture where midwives' concerns are heard.

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

    How would you reduce the caesarean rate, or should you?

    The evidence, the case mix, choice, and outcomes rather than rates as the target. Give a balanced view.

System knowledge

Read the trust's strategy, annual plan, CQC report and staff survey before the interview and quote their themes back. For waiting lists and productivity, name the levers a consultant actually has and how you would measure progress. Keep proposals to what one person can deliver in a first year.

  1. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the chief executive or deputySYSTEM

    What has maternity care learned from the national reports into maternity failings, and what would you do here?

    Listening to women and families, compassionate leadership, multidisciplinary training, monitoring, escalation, and safety culture. Know the trust's maternity CQC rating and give specific actions.

  2. Often askedUsually asked by the medical directorSYSTEM

    What are the challenges of obstetrics and gynaecology in the current NHS?

    A presentation title reported from a real panel. Maternity safety, the workforce, gynaecology waiting lists, litigation and culture. Give a view and one action.

Governance, safety and quality

Describe the incident, your part, how the patient or family were told, what the investigation found and what changed. For QI, give the problem, the measure, the change, the result and whether it stuck. An answer with no mistake in it is the worst answer.

  1. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the medical directorSTARR

    Tell us about a maternity serious incident you were involved in and what changed.

    The incident, your part, the family told, the review, the change, and support for the staff.

  2. Often askedUsually asked by the clinical director or clinical leadSTARR

    How would you run multidisciplinary training in this unit?

    Obstetric emergencies drills with midwives, anaesthetists and neonatologists, regular, in the place where care happens, with learning fed back.

Presentation

Answer the title set, not a general one. Signpost a structure with a recommendation, use facts about this trust, finish inside the time, and prepare for the questions that follow. Most panels now limit or ban slides, so practise speaking without them.

  • The challenges of obstetrics and gynaecology in the current NHS, and what this unit should do.
  • Building a maternity safety culture where every concern is heard.
  • Reducing the gynaecology waiting list at this trust.

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.