NHS INTERVIEW GUIDE

Occupational Therapist Interview Questions: Band 5 and Band 6 NHS Guide

The question themes NHS occupational therapy panels use at Band 5 and Band 6, how to answer discharge and risk scenarios, and how to prepare for a rotational post.

Last updated 24 October 2026 · Created by a practising NHS doctor · Independent of the NHS

Quick answer

What questions are asked in an NHS Band 5 occupational therapist interview?

Expect questions on why you chose OT and the trust, functional assessment, safe discharge planning, positive risk taking, equipment, mental health OT, consent and capacity, safeguarding, prioritising and HCPC standards. Panels want client-centred, occupation-focused reasoning, early escalation and real examples. Band 6 interviews add specialist reasoning, supervision of others and service improvement, sometimes with a presentation.

Key takeaways

Start every answer with the person and their occupations
Raise discharge concerns with a safe alternative plan
Cover risk, capacity and safeguarding at principle level
Prepare examples across physical and mental health
Band 6 adds supervision and service improvement

NHS occupational therapy interviews usually ask why you chose OT and the trust, then move to scenarios on functional assessment, safe discharge, risk, equipment, mental health and working with the MDT, plus HCPC standards and CPD. Band 6 interviews cover similar ground but expect deeper clinical reasoning, supervision of others and service improvement. Panels want to see client-centred, occupation-focused thinking and safe judgement.

Below are the common themes with practice questions, how to approach OT scenarios, a worked STAR answer, preparation tips and mistakes to avoid. The questions are practice themes, not real interview questions, and clinical points stay at principle level, so always follow local policy.

In this guide

What questions are asked in a Band 5 occupational therapist interview?
How do you answer occupational therapy scenario questions?
Worked STAR answer: a discharge you had concerns about
How do I prepare for an OT rotational interview?
What do they ask in a Band 6 OT interview?
Common mistakes in occupational therapy interviews

What questions are asked in a Band 5 occupational therapist interview?

Expect motivation questions, scenarios about assessing function and planning discharge, and questions on risk, consent, teamwork, prioritising and professional standards. Many Band 5 posts are rotational, so panels also check you can adapt across physical health, mental health and community settings.

Rotations often include acute medicine, orthopaedics, stroke or neuro rehabilitation, older adults, community teams and mental health. Band 6 posts tend to be specialty based or senior rotational, with more emphasis on supervision and improving the service. Use these practice questions to plan your examples.

Why OT: What does occupational therapy mean to you, and why this rotational post?
Explaining the role: How would you explain what an OT does to a patient who has never met one?
Functional assessment: Talk us through how you would assess an older patient's ability to manage at home.
Discharge planning: The team wants a patient home today, but you have concerns. What do you do?
Positive risk taking: A patient wants to go home against advice. How do you balance their choice and safety?
Equipment and home visits: How do you decide what equipment or adaptations a person needs?
Mental health OT: How would you use meaningful activity in a mental health setting?
Consent and capacity: What would you do if you doubted a patient's capacity to decide about discharge?
Prioritising: You have several urgent referrals and limited time. How do you plan your day?
Safeguarding: What would you do if you saw signs of neglect on a home visit?
HCPC and CPD: Tell us about a reflection that changed your practice.
Band 6 extras: How would you support a Band 5 or student, and what would you improve in this service?

How do you answer occupational therapy scenario questions?

Answer OT scenarios by starting with the person and their occupations, then assessing, identifying risks, planning with them and the MDT, escalating concerns and documenting. Panels value clear, safe reasoning over textbook detail.

Naming a model of practice you genuinely use, such as a person, environment and occupation approach, can help structure your answer, but keep the focus on what you would actually do.

Functional assessment: gather information from the notes, the patient, family and the team. Ask what matters to the person, observe a real task such as a kitchen or washing assessment, and consider cognition, mobility, mood and the home environment.
Pressure to discharge: share your concerns clearly with the MDT, explain the specific risk, and suggest options such as further assessment, equipment, a care package or a community referral. Document your reasoning.
Positive risk taking: respect choice, explore the risks with the person, agree ways to reduce them, and record the discussion. If capacity is in doubt, follow the relevant capacity law and local policy, which in England and Wales is the Mental Capacity Act. Frameworks differ across the UK nations.
Equipment: match it to the person's goals and environment, check they can use it safely, and follow local provision processes.
Safeguarding: keep the person safe, record what you saw factually, and report through your trust's safeguarding procedure the same day.

Worked STAR answer: a discharge you had concerns about

Discharge questions are very common in OT interviews because they test advocacy, risk judgement and teamwork at once. Use this as a model and swap in your own real example.

Example answer: raising concerns about a discharge (Band 5 rotational OT)

Situation: On an acute medical placement, an older patient was declared medically fit and the ward wanted to discharge her that afternoon. She lived alone and had been unsteady during my kitchen assessment that morning.

Task: I needed to make sure her discharge was safe without causing an unnecessary delay, and to make sure her own wishes were heard.

Action: I spoke with her first. She was keen to go home but admitted she had been struggling before admission. I discussed my findings with my supervisor, then raised them at the board round, explaining the specific risks: fatigue, difficulty carrying items and an unsafe bath transfer. I proposed a plan: equipment delivered that day, a referral to the community rehabilitation team and a short care package. I documented the assessment and the agreed plan.

Result: She went home the next morning with equipment in place and community follow-up arranged. The team thanked me for a clear plan rather than just a concern.

Reflection: I learned that raising a concern works best when I bring a solution with it. I now prepare options before board rounds.

How do I prepare for an OT rotational interview?

Prepare by building a bank of real examples across physical and mental health, revising core OT principles, knowing the HCPC standards and researching the trust's services. Map one example to each essential criterion in the person specification.

Example bank: six to eight examples on discharge, risk, teamwork, a mistake, a difficult conversation and an activity-based intervention.
Core principles: functional assessment, discharge planning, equipment, cognition, falls and mental health OT.
Professional standards: skim the HCPC standards and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists' professional standards.
Know the rotation: check which areas the post covers and read what the trust publishes about its therapy services.
Practise aloud: with a practice educator, peer or mentor. University careers services, union resources and NHS Jobs interview advice can also help.
Structured self-study: Healthcare Interview Prep has original practice questions with written model answers for OT and other allied health roles, with the first 8 free. It is a self-study resource, not live coaching, so pair it with spoken practice.

What do they ask in a Band 6 OT interview?

Band 6 OT interviews ask similar questions to Band 5 but expect deeper reasoning in a specialty, experience supervising students or Band 5 colleagues, managing a complex caseload and an example of improving a service. Some trusts add a presentation or a case discussion, so read the invitation carefully and prepare a timed answer if asked.

Common mistakes in occupational therapy interviews

Describing tasks without linking them to the person's occupations and goals.
Leaving out risk, capacity or safeguarding in a discharge answer.
Saying you would refuse a discharge without offering a safe alternative plan.
Focusing only on physical health when the post includes mental health rotations.
Using 'we' so much that your own contribution is unclear.
Generic motivation answers that could fit any profession or trust.
No reflection or CPD example ready to discuss.

Frequently asked questions

What questions are asked in a Band 5 OT interview?

Most Band 5 OT interviews cover why you chose occupational therapy, how you would assess function, discharge planning, positive risk taking, equipment, consent and capacity, safeguarding, prioritising a caseload, HCPC standards and CPD. Rotational posts may add questions on mental health and community work. Questions vary between trusts, so prepare real examples for each theme and read the person specification closely.

How do I explain occupational therapy in an interview?

Keep it simple and person focused. Explain that OT helps people do the everyday activities that matter to them, such as washing, cooking, working or socialising, by looking at the person, the activity and the environment together. Then give a short real example from placement or work showing how this improved someone's independence or wellbeing. Avoid jargon and long lists of models.

How long is an NHS occupational therapy interview?

Many OT interviews last around 30 to 45 minutes, but this varies between trusts. Some add a case study, a written task or a short presentation, particularly for Band 6 roles, and rotational recruitment days for newly qualified staff may follow a different format. Your invitation should explain what to expect, and you can ask the recruitment contact if anything is unclear.

Should I mention OT models in my interview?

You can, if you genuinely use one and it helps structure your answer. Briefly naming a person, environment and occupation approach can show your reasoning. However, panels care more about what you would actually do for the patient than about theory. Mention a model in one sentence, then move quickly to a practical example that shows client-centred, safe practice.

What is the difference between a Band 5 and Band 6 OT interview?

Band 5 interviews focus on safe core practice, willingness to learn and adapting across rotations. Band 6 interviews ask similar questions but expect specialist clinical reasoning, managing complex cases, supervising students or junior staff, and service improvement. Band 6 candidates are more often asked to give a presentation, so check the invitation and the person specification carefully.

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