Post by Deborah Udy Okusaga Akanne (@deborah_udy_okusaga)

THE CONFLICT QUESTION

When an NHS panel asks about conflict in the MDT, they are not interested in drama, difficult colleagues, or who was right.

They're asking one thing: can you challenge a senior clinician safely, to protect a patient?

It's a patient safety question wearing a teamwork costume. Answer it as a personality story, and it scores poorly — every time.

What the panel actually needs to hear:

→ A genuine clinical disagreement, not an interpersonal one

→ A moment where patient safety was the concern, not your ego

→ A structured escalation using SBAR — Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation

→ An outcome where the patient was protected and the working relationship stayed intact

SBAR isn't a nice-to-have here. It's the NHS's own standard structured communication tool for exactly this kind of escalation, and panels are listening for it specifically.

The candidates who stumble on this question aren't short on experience. They've just never been told what's actually being scored.

📩 Got an MDT conflict story but not sure how to structure it? DM me "CONFLICT" and let's build it properly before your interview.

Like this, share it, send it to someone prepping for an NHS interview right now.

Post 3 at 11AM — the question that eliminates candidates on the spot.

Sources: NHS England, SBAR Communication Tool; NHS Improvement, Human Factors and SBAR guidance.

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