Communication: NHS Interview Questions for International Doctors

The aggressive patient, a difficult conversation with a colleague or patient, and how you know you are a good communicator. Panels listen for structure and for awareness that communication in a new system takes effort.

Updated 26 October 2026

How to answer

Describe one real conversation and what was hard about it. For the aggressive patient, safety first, then listening, then de escalation, then escalation if needed. Practise a handover in SBAR until it is automatic.

Frameworks: SPIKES for bad news; 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

    Describe a time you found it difficult to communicate with a colleague or patient. What did you do?

    One real example: what made it hard, what you did differently, and how it ended. Reflect on what you would do next time. Panels score insight and adaptation, not a perfect outcome.

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

    How would you respond to an aggressive or angry patient?

    Safety first for everyone in the room, then listen, acknowledge the frustration, stay calm, find out what they need, and address what you can. If it escalates, withdraw and get help; know the trust's process. Afterwards, document and reflect.

  3. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the HR or people directorSTARR

    How do you know you are a good communicator?

    Evidence, not assertion: patient feedback, a colleague's comment, a handover that prevented harm, a complaint you resolved. Then one thing you are still working on. Humility scores here.

  4. Often askedUsually asked by the clinical director or clinical leadSPIKES

    How would you break bad news to a patient?

    SPIKES: the right setting, what they already know, what they want to know, the information in small pieces with a warning shot, the response to emotion, and the plan with a named contact. Say who you would want with you.

  5. Often askedUsually asked by the consultant colleague in the specialtySTARR

    Tell us about a time you handled a complaint or an upset relative.

    Listen, acknowledge, apologise for the experience without prejudging the facts, explain what you will do, and do it. Know the trust's complaints process. One real example, with the outcome.

  6. Often askedUsually asked by the head of nursing or senior nurseSBAR

    How do you hand over a patient at the end of a shift?

    SBAR for each patient, sickest first, with the outstanding tasks and the triggers for calling back. Say that you hand over face to face where possible and that you use the trust's handover tool.

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

    A patient does not speak English and no interpreter is immediately available. What do you do?

    Use the telephone interpreting service, which exists in every trust, while a face to face interpreter is arranged. Use simple words and gestures for anything urgent, never a family member for anything clinical, and document what was understood.

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