Post by Deborah Udy Okusaga Akanne (@deborah_udy_okusaga)

What Do The NHS Values Mean To You?' — The Question That Sounds Easy And Is Failing Candidates Who Know The Answer.

Every NHS interview panel asks a version of this question.

"What do the NHS values mean to you?"

Or: "How do the NHS values align with your own professional values?"

Or at a more senior level: "Describe a time your actions demonstrated the NHS values in practice."

And every candidate gives the same answer.

They list the six NHS values — working together for patients, respect and dignity, commitment to quality of care, compassion, improving lives, everyone counts — and they explain what each one means to them personally.

The panel scores them a 1.

Not because they got the values wrong. Not because their personal commitment is in doubt.

Because they treated a clinical governance question as a values inventory.

Here is what the panel is actually assessing: Do you understand that the NHS Constitution — which enshrines these six values as the framework for every employment decision, every clinical delivery decision, and every governance investigation in every NHS Trust — is a live operational document, not a mission statement?

The candidate who scores a 4 does three things:

Names a specific value and connects it to a specific clinical governance obligation. "Commitment to quality of care is not, for me, an aspiration. It is the obligation I have under my registration to participate in clinical audit cycles, contribute to incident learning, and practise to the current evidence base. My most recent example of this is..."

Connects the value to the Trust's own Quality Account or published priorities. "I reviewed your Trust's 2025/26 Quality Account before this interview. The commitment to improving patient experience scores in [department] directly reflects the 'improving lives' value — and it is an area where my background in patient satisfaction measurement is directly relevant."

Acknowledges the tension between values — and how you navigate it. "Respecting patient dignity and working together for patients sometimes require navigating disagreement within the MDT. My experience of managing that tension professionally — maintaining patient-centred decision-making while working within clear professional boundaries — is what I would bring to this role."

That answer is specific. It is evidenced. And it demonstrates that for you, NHS values are not words on a poster.

DM me "VALUES" and I will send you the full NHS Values interview framework for your profession and grade.

Post 3 drops at 11:00 AM — the question about your career gap. How to handle it when the panel asks directly.

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