NHS values-based interviews

An NHS values-based interview tests whether the way you behave at work fits the values of the NHS Constitution and of the trust you are applying to. Alongside questions about skills and experience, you will be asked how you have acted, or would act, in situations where values such as compassion, respect and dignity are tested. NHS England uses values-based recruitment for clinical and non-clinical roles alike.

The six NHS Constitution values

The NHS Constitution for England sets out six values:

1. Working together for patients
2. Respect and dignity
3. Commitment to quality of care
4. Compassion
5. Improving lives
6. Everyone counts

Each trust then has its own shorter set, often three to five words such as “kind”, “open” or “together”. They are on the trust website and usually in the job pack. Learn them, but do not recite them back to the panel. The panel wants evidence that you already work that way.

What values-based questions sound like

Most questions take one of two forms.

Behavioural questions ask about the past: “Tell us about a time you put a patient’s needs first when it was difficult to do so”, or “Describe a time you challenged poor practice”. Answer these with a real example in the STAR format.

Situational questions ask what you would do: “A relative is shouting at the nurses’ station about their mother’s care. What do you do?” or “You see a colleague speak to a patient in a way you think is disrespectful. How do you respond?” STAR does not fit here. What the panel needs is a clear order of actions and the reason for each one.

Some trusts also finish with a question such as “Which of our values means most to you, and why?” A short, specific answer tied to something you have done works better than a general one.

How answers are scored

Panels score each answer against a marking guide, usually on a numbered scale, with examples of what weak, acceptable and strong answers contain. A strong answer to a question about dignity might mention asking the person what they want, protecting privacy, involving them in decisions and escalating concerns. A weak one says “I always treat people with respect” and stops.

Panels look for:

• Putting the patient or service user at the centre
• Honesty, including about mistakes
• Speaking up when something is wrong, and knowing how to escalate
• Working with colleagues and sharing information
• Reflection: what you learned and changed

Preparing examples

Start with the person specification and the trust’s values. For each value, think of a situation from work, study, caring or volunteering where you showed it. NHS experience is not required. A shop worker who dealt calmly with a distressed customer, or a parent who advocated for a child at school, has evidence of compassion and respect.

Questions about raising concerns come up often. Have an example of a time you spoke up, even about something small. If you do not have one, know the route: tell the person in charge, follow the trust’s policy, and use the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian if that does not work. Every NHS trust in England has one.

For situational questions, practise talking through your steps aloud: keep everyone safe, listen, get help from the right person, record what happened. Panels want to see that you know your limits and when to escalate.

Where values fit in the whole process

Values are assessed at more than one stage. Your NHS supporting statement is the first place a panel sees them, and many trusts score it against the person specification and values together. Some use online values questionnaires or situational judgement tests before interview, mainly for large intakes such as healthcare support workers or graduate schemes. At interview, values questions sit alongside clinical or technical ones. For nursing posts, our nursing interview questions guide covers the clinical side.

After interview, the trust moves on to pre-employment checks, which usually cover references for three years of employment, a DBS check where the role needs one, and other checks under the NHS Employment Check Standards. How long NHS recruitment takes covers the timing.

Things that count against you

Panels mark down answers that blame colleagues or patients, skip over safety, or show you acting beyond your competence without asking for help. Overclaiming is a risk too: say you resolved a complaint single-handedly and expect a follow-up question about what your manager did. Be accurate about your role, say what you would do differently, and keep the patient in every answer.