Post by Deborah Udy Okusaga Akanne (@deborah_udy_okusaga)

"The Conflict Question"

When an NHS panel asks you about conflict in the MDT — they are not looking for drama.

They are not interested in personality clashes, difficult colleagues, or who was right and who was wrong.
They are assessing one thing only: can you challenge a senior clinician safely to protect a patient?

That is a clinical governance question dressed up as a people question. And if you answer it like a people question, you will score at the bottom of the Teamwork competency — every time.

Here is what the panel needs to hear:
A situation where there was a clinical disagreement — not a personality conflict. A moment where patient safety was at stake. A structured response where you used SBAR — Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation — to escalate your concern professionally and respectfully. And a result that demonstrates the patient was protected and the team relationship was preserved.
That is the answer that scores "Excellent."

Every client I prepare for NHS interview goes through this exact framework — the STAR method structured specifically for clinical disagreement scenarios, built around NHS values, duty of candour, and MDT communication standards.

The candidates who stumble on this question are the ones who have never been told what the panel is actually scoring.
Now you know.

📩 DM me directly if you want to work through your own MDT conflict answer before your interview. One session can be the difference between a good score and an outstanding one.

Found this useful? Like it, share it, and pass it on to every international clinician in your network who has an NHS interview coming up.
Post 3 lands at 11AM — and it is the one that separates the safe candidates from the ones who get rejected on the spot.

#NHSInterview2026 #MDTCommunication #ClinicalLeadership #STARMethod #SBAR #DutyOfCandour #NHSValues #TeamworkNHS #InternationalClinicians #SovereignHealthcareAdvisoryGroup #NMCRegistered #HCPCRegistered #IMGDoctor #Band6NHS #NHSJobs

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