Post by Deborah Udy Okusaga Akanne (@deborah_udy_okusaga)

"Why This Trust?"

"I have always wanted to work in the UK."

I hear this every week from internationally trained clinicians preparing for NHS interviews.

And every week I tell them the same thing: that answer will cost you the job.

Not because it is dishonest. But because the panel is not asking why you want to work in the UK. They are asking why you want to work in this Trust, on this ward, in this department — and whether you have done the work to find out.

The "Why This Trust?" question is a research filter. And in 2026, the research is not optional.

Here is what I teach every client I work with:

Before any NHS interview, you read the Trust's most recent CQC inspection report. You identify their Outstanding ratings — and you understand what they did to earn them.

You identify their "Requires Improvement" areas — and you come prepared to articulate how your specific skills and experience could contribute to closing those gaps.

You read the Trust's Quality Account. You understand their strategic priorities for the next three years. You know whether they are working through an NHS Improvement plan or whether they hold Foundation Trust status.

Then when the panel asks "Why us?" — you do not say you want to work in the UK.

You say: "I reviewed your most recent CQC report and I was struck by the Outstanding rating your Emergency Department received for patient responsiveness. I also noted the Requires Improvement finding on documentation standards in your community nursing teams — and having worked to implement a structured documentation audit in my previous role, I believe I can contribute directly to that improvement."

That answer scores. Every time.

This is the level of preparation I bring to every client I support through NHS interview coaching — and it is why the clinicians I work with walk into that room knowing exactly what the panel needs to hear.

That is Day 1 of your NHS Interview Masterclass complete.

Five questions. Five frameworks. Five scoring opportunities you now know about that most international clinicians do not.

Tomorrow — Day 2 — we go deeper. We cover the Leadership questions, the Values-Based Interview stations, and the one answer structure that scores maximum points on every NHS competency framework, every time.

35 posts. 7 days. Everything you need to close the deal.

📩 If you are preparing for an NHS interview this month and you want personalised coaching — DM me directly right now. Do not go into that room without preparation that matches the standard of the panel waiting for you.

Save, Like this post. Share it with every international clinician in your network. You might just save someone's career trajectory with one tap.

See you tomorrow at 7AM.

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