Psychiatry: NHS Consultant Interview Questions

The psychiatry 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

    There are no beds and a detained patient is waiting in the emergency department. What do you do?

    See the patient and make sure they are safe now. Assess risk and need. Fix: the least restrictive safe option, including crisis team alternatives, and the bed escalation. Escalate through the trust's bed management and the executive if the delay is harmful. Review: the patient's experience, the emergency department team's support, and reporting the delay. Know your obligations under the Mental Health Act.

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

    A patient you discharged takes their own life a week later. How do you respond as the consultant?

    The family first, with compassion and honesty. Support the team. The review, which looks for learning rather than blame. Your own wellbeing and supervision. Say what you would want the review to look at.

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

    How would you lead a community mental health team that is overstretched and losing staff?

    Find out what the team needs, prioritise safely, protect supervision and wellbeing, make the case for resources with data, and look at the model of care.

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

    A patient with capacity refuses treatment and is becoming unwell. When would you use the Mental Health Act, and how?

    The criteria, the least restrictive principle, capacity versus detention, the involvement of the family and the mental health professionals, and documentation. Show you know the law's current shape.

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

    A junior doctor is struggling after a difficult incident on the ward. What do you do?

    Notice, check in privately, offer support and supervision, adjust the workload, and point to the services available. Model the culture you want.

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 are the biggest pressures on mental health services in this trust?

    Out of area placements, bed occupancy, community waiting lists, the workforce, and the reform of the Mental Health Act. Know the trust's position and give one contribution.

  2. Often askedUsually asked by the medical directorSYSTEM

    What do you understand by eliminating inappropriate out of area placements, and how would you contribute?

    Why they harm patients, the alternatives (crisis teams, crisis houses, flow), and what a consultant can do about discharge planning and admissions.

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 serious incident in mental health 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 reduce restrictive practice on an inpatient unit?

    Data on restraint and seclusion, training in de escalation, the ward culture, involving patients, and measuring the change.

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.

  • Your vision for adult mental health services at this trust over the next five years.
  • Eliminating inappropriate out of area placements.
  • Reducing restrictive practice on inpatient units.

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.