The NHS consultant interview

Applying for your first NHS consultant post can feel overwhelming—but what actually makes a difference?

In this episode, I speak with newly appointed consultant plastic surgeon Miss Reema Chawla, who shares exactly how she prepared for her consultant interview, what worked, what she would do differently, and the lessons she learnt along the way.

We discuss:

• When to start preparing

• The resources that are genuinely worth reading

• Trust documents and the NHS 10-Year Plan

• Pre-interview visits

• Leadership and management examples

• Equality, diversity and inclusion questions

• Handling difficult interview questions

• Common mistakes candidates make

• Rapid-fire consultant interview advice

Whether you're an ST6, ST7, ST8, post-CCT fellow or simply planning ahead, this conversation is packed with practical advice from someone who's recently succeeded.

Beyond CCT is a podcast helping doctors prepare not only for consultant interviews, but also for the transition into consultant practice through leadership, management and professional development.

Subscribe for future episodes covering consultant interviews, NHS leadership, communication, governance and life beyond CCT.

00:00 Introduction

00:45 When should you start preparing?

03:00 Six months before interview

05:00 Best resources to use

08:00 Trust documents and CQC reports

11:00 NHS Ten-Year Plan

16:00 Pre-interview visits

21:00 Inside the consultant interview

34:00 Leadership and management questions

35:00 Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

42:00 Trust values

44:00 "Tell me about a mistake"

50:00 Leadership vs management

52:00 Rapid-fire interview tips

55:00 Why practising out loud matters

57:30 

00:45 When should I start preparing for an NHS consultant interview?

04:45 What resources are most useful for consultant interview preparation?

07:25 Which NHS and Trust documents should I read before my interview?

15:55 Are pre-interview visits worth doing?

21:00 What actually happens during an NHS consultant interview?

33:10 How should I structure my interview answers?

35:00 How do I answer Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) questions?

42:05 How can I use Trust values to strengthen my interview answers?

44:40 How should I answer "Tell me about a mistake"?

50:10 What's the difference between leadership and management at consultant interview?

52:10 What are the most important consultant interview tips?

55:20 Why is practising interview answers out loud so important?

The Ockenden Report: What Every Future Consultant Should Learn

The 2026 Ockenden Review of maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals runs to nearly 400 pages. But what should an anaesthetic registrar preparing for a consultant interview actually know about it?

In this episode, I examine the report through the lens of an anaesthetist and clinical leader. I look at why the review was commissioned, the role of the Harriet Hawkins case, how the investigation was conducted, and what the review found about obstetric anaesthesia, patient experience, escalation, documentation, psychological safety and organisational learning.

The anaesthetic findings were more positive than many might expect. Despite reviewing a deliberately high-risk group of cases, nearly 92% of graded anaesthetic and critical care cases were assessed as appropriate or associated with only minor concerns. The report also praised the visibility, accessibility and multidisciplinary contribution of the anaesthetic team.

However, the wider report raises difficult questions about how healthcare organisations respond to warning signals. It describes fragmented information, repeated failures to learn, poor escalation, governance structures that existed “in form but not in function”, and a Board that was too often given reassurance rather than assurance.

This episode explores six practical lessons for future and current consultants:

Early specialist involvement.

Approachable senior leadership.

Clear documentation of clinical reasoning.

Recognition that patient experience is a clinical outcome.

Closing the learning loop after incidents.

And understanding the difference between reassurance and genuine assurance.

This is relevant not only to obstetric anaesthetists, but to any doctor interested in consultant interview preparation, patient safety, human factors, clinical governance and NHS leadership.

#Anaesthesia #ConsultantInterview #OckendenReport #PatientSafety #ClinicalGovernance #HumanFactors #ObstetricAnaesthesia #MedicalLeadership #NHS #PsychologicalSafety

Helping doctors navigate the transition from trainee to consultant.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (DEI) questions are now common in NHS consultant interviews, yet many candidates struggle to answer them convincingly.

In this episode, I discuss a practical framework for approaching these questions using real-world examples rather than generic statements.

Topics discussed include:

• The Equality Act 2010 and protected characteristics
• Why DEI questions are asked at consultant interview
• Equality versus equity in patient care
• Adapting healthcare systems for patients with additional needs
• Unconscious bias and clinical decision making
• The landmark thrombolysis study involving Black and White patients
• Creating fair and transparent systems
• Standardisation, recruitment and reducing bias
• Psychological safety and speaking up
• Challenging discriminatory behaviour and incivility
• Why DEI is ultimately a leadership issue

If you're preparing for a consultant interview, this episode will help you develop stronger examples, richer conversation points and more credible answers.

Subscribe for more episodes on consultant interviews, leadership, governance, patient safety and the transition from trainee to consultant.

#ConsultantInterview #MedicalLeadership #NHSCareers #DoctorCareer #Anaesthesia

A colleague experiences a difficult clinical case. The patient is fine, the debrief is constructive, yet something still lingers: the feeling of being judged rather than supported. In this episode, I explore why the conversations we most want to avoid are often the ones we most need to have. We discuss feedback, professional boundaries, psychological safety, and why difficult conversations are not just about changing other people—they're opportunities to develop ourselves. If you've ever replayed an awkward interaction in your head and wondered whether to let it go, this episode is for you.

The conversation provides 6 interview questions that I recently asked, and the expected responses. It also delves into how to answer questions relating to challenging situations in the workplace, including working outside one's comfort zone, understanding operational pressures, dealing with differences of opinion, navigating toxic work environments, and promoting inclusivity in the workplace.

Takeaways

• Interview Question Insights
• Handling Challenging Situations

Sohel describes how he felt soon after becoming consultant, and the differences in perception between being a senior registrar and consultant. This episode discusses the lead-up to preparing your profile as a consultant and life in the initial months after becoming one.

In this extract, Sohel talks about the mindset behind the planning of his SIAs as ST6 and 7. Full episode coming shortly.

In this short clip, Dr Sohel Samad, consultant anaesthetist discusses the eternal question of seeking employment at a DGH vs tertiary centres. Full episode coming shortly.

Dr. Ed Rintoul shares his interview experience, discussing his preparation, meeting the panel members, and the interview day. He emphasizes the importance of practicing out loud and managing nerves during the interview process.

Takeaways

• Interview preparation
• Dealing with nerves

Chapters

• 00:00 Preparation and Anticipation
• 06:25 Meeting the Panel Members
• 11:30 Interview Day and Questions

The conversation provides valuable insights into the structure and process of the NHS consultant interview, including the importance of pre-interview meetings, handling tricky questions, and structuring answers effectively. It also emphasizes the significance of integrity, reflection, and preparation for interview questions.

Takeaways

• Structured approach to answering interview questions
• Importance of preparation for interview questions