Post by Deborah Udy Okusaga Akanne (@deborah_udy_okusaga)

"The QIP Question"

If you are going for a Band 6 or Band 7 NHS role and you cannot answer the Quality Improvement question — you will not get the job.

Full stop.

This is the question that separates clinical practitioners from clinical leaders. And it is the question that international clinicians most consistently underestimate — because quality improvement projects, PDSA cycles, and clinical audit frameworks are not always part of the formal training structure in other healthcare systems.

But here is what I want you to understand: you have almost certainly done quality improvement work. You just have never framed it that way.

Have you ever changed how something was done on your ward because you noticed it was not working? Have you ever flagged a pattern of incidents and contributed to a change in protocol? Have you ever been involved in reducing infection rates, improving handover standards, or shortening patient wait times?

That is a QIP. And with the right structure, it becomes a compelling, high-scoring interview answer.

The framework I use with every client I prepare for Band 6 and above is the PDSA cycle — Plan, Do, Study, Act. It is the quality improvement language the NHS uses, the language CQC assessors speak, and the language that tells a shortlisting panel you think like a service leader, not just a clinician.

I work with every client to build their QIP narrative directly from their existing clinical experience — identifying the improvement, structuring the intervention, evidencing the outcome, and presenting it in a way that scores on the Service Improvement competency.

You do not need a formal audit title on your CV to answer this question well.

You need the right framework and someone who knows how to help you find the story that is already there.

📩 Preparing for a Band 6 or Band 7 NHS interview? DM me directly today. Let us build your QIP narrative before your panel date.

Save, Like and share this post — every Band 6 candidate in your network needs to see this before their next interview.

Final post of Day 1 drops at 5PM. It is about the question most people prepare least — and lose most.

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