NHS INTERVIEW GUIDE

Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) Interview Questions: Band 5 and Band 6

The questions NHS panels ask operating department practitioners across anaesthetics, scrub and recovery, with practice questions, a worked STAR answer, common mistakes and a preparation plan.

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

Quick answer

What questions are asked in an NHS operating department practitioner (ODP) interview?

NHS ODP interviews usually cover why you chose ODP, the WHO surgical safety checklist, swab and instrument counts, airway emergencies and deteriorating patients in recovery, teamwork and speaking up in theatre, and HCPC standards. Questions mix clinical scenarios with STAR examples. Band 6 interviews add leading a list, supervising students and improving safety. Answer at principle level and always mention escalation and local policy.

Key takeaways

Expect motivation, safety, scenario, teamwork and HCPC questions.
Show you would stop the line if a checklist step or count is wrong.
Keep clinical answers at principle level and always escalate.
Band 6 answers need leadership, supervision and improvement.
Prepare four to six STAR stories and rehearse them aloud.

In an NHS operating department practitioner (ODP) interview you are usually asked why you chose perioperative care, how you use the WHO surgical safety checklist, how you manage swab and instrument counts, what you would do in an airway emergency, how you work in a theatre team and how you meet HCPC standards. Most panels mix clinical scenario questions with values and STAR-style questions about real situations. Band 6 interviews add questions on leading a list, supervising students and improving safety.

This guide covers Band 5 and Band 6 ODP roles across anaesthetics, scrub and recovery, with 12 practice questions, a worked STAR answer, common mistakes and a preparation plan. The questions are original practice examples, not real interview questions, and clinical points stay at principle level. Always follow local policy.

In this guide

What questions are asked in an NHS ODP interview?
What is the difference between a Band 5 and Band 6 ODP interview?
What do ODP interview panels look for?
How do you answer WHO surgical safety checklist questions?
What should you say about swab and instrument counts?
How do you answer an airway emergency question in an ODP interview?
How do you show HCPC standards and teamwork in theatre answers?
What are 12 practice questions for an ODP interview?
What does a good STAR answer look like for an ODP interview?
What are common mistakes in ODP interviews?
How should you prepare for an ODP interview?

What questions are asked in an NHS ODP interview?

Expect questions in five areas: motivation, patient safety, clinical scenarios, teamwork and professional standards. The mix depends on whether the post is anaesthetics, scrub, recovery or rotational. Panels are often two or three people, such as a theatre manager and a senior ODP or nurse, and some trusts add a scenario or values station, so check your invitation.

Motivation: why ODP, why this trust, why this specialty or rotation.
Patient safety: the WHO checklist, team brief and debrief, counts, consent and identity checks, positioning and pressure care.
Clinical scenarios: a deteriorating patient in recovery, an unexpected difficult airway, a count discrepancy, a patient who is anxious or confused.
Teamwork: speaking up to a senior colleague, handling conflict, communicating under pressure.
Professional standards: HCPC standards, scope of practice, CPD, infection prevention and documentation.

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

Band 5 interviews focus on being safe, competent and teachable in your own practice. Band 6 interviews test whether you can coordinate a theatre or recovery area, support others and lead on safety and improvement.

Newly qualified Band 5 ODPs are often asked about preceptorship and where they feel confident. At Band 6, expect questions on running a list, allocating staff, supporting students, handling a staffing gap and leading a debrief. Responsibilities vary between trusts, so check the advert.

What do ODP interview panels look for?

Panels look for a safe, calm practitioner who follows safety processes every time and speaks up when something is wrong. Your answers should show judgement, not just knowledge.

Safety first: you treat the checklist and counts as real safety tools, not paperwork.
Escalation: you know when to call for senior help.
Communication: closed-loop communication, clear handovers and honest documentation.
Human factors: awareness of fatigue, distraction and hierarchy.
Patient advocacy: dignity and protection for patients who cannot speak for themselves under anaesthesia.
Professionalism and values: working within HCPC standards and your scope, and showing the NHS values in what you actually did.

How do you answer WHO surgical safety checklist questions?

Explain the purpose of each stage, give an example of using it properly, and say you would pause if a step was missed or a concern raised. Panels want to know you would stop the line, not just recite the stages.

The checklist is usually described in three stages: sign in before induction of anaesthesia, time out before incision, and sign out before the patient leaves theatre. Many trusts add a team brief and debrief, and in England national safety standards for invasive procedures (NatSSIPs) shape local versions. Cover identity, procedure, site marking, consent, allergies, equipment, counts and specimen labelling.

What should you say about swab and instrument counts?

Say that counts are done by two people, out loud, at set points, and recorded, and that any discrepancy is reported to the surgeon immediately and escalated under local policy until resolved.

Retained items are among the serious, largely preventable incidents that in England have been classed as never events, though this categorisation has been under review. Show you understand why the count matters: reducing distractions, using the count board, proper handover when scrub staff change, and an incident report and team support if a discrepancy happens.

How do you answer an airway emergency question in an ODP interview?

Stay at principle level: recognise the problem early, call for help, support the anaesthetist, follow the recognised difficult airway guidelines and local algorithm, and know where the checked difficult airway equipment is.

Panels are testing role clarity and calm, not drug doses. Describe preparing equipment before induction, anticipating problems from the pre-operative assessment, closed-loop communication, keeping time, documenting and joining the debrief. In recovery, apply the same thinking to a deteriorating patient: a structured ABCDE assessment, support within your competence, early escalation and an SBAR handover.

How do you show HCPC standards and teamwork in theatre answers?

Link your examples to the HCPC standards of proficiency for ODPs and the standards of conduct, performance and ethics: working within your scope, keeping records, raising concerns, being open when things go wrong and keeping up CPD.

For teamwork, use real examples of speaking up to a senior colleague, supporting a student or adapting when a list changed. Human factors language helps, such as situational awareness and a culture where anyone can say stop. Some details of regulation and guidance differ across the four UK nations.

What are 12 practice questions for an ODP interview?

Use these to rehearse out loud. The first eight suit most Band 5 posts; the last four are typical of Band 6.

Why did you choose to become an operating department practitioner?
Talk us through the WHO surgical safety checklist and why each stage matters.
Your count does not match at closure. What do you do?
During induction the anaesthetist cannot secure the airway. What is your role?
A patient in recovery becomes drowsy and their breathing changes. How do you respond?
Tell us about a time you spoke up about a safety concern in theatre.
How do you protect a patient's dignity and safety while they are anaesthetised?
How do the HCPC standards affect your day-to-day practice?
How would you coordinate a list when a patient is cancelled and the order changes?
How would you support a student or newly qualified ODP who is struggling?
Tell us about a time you led or contributed to a debrief after an incident.
What change would you make to improve safety or efficiency in our theatres?

What does a good STAR answer look like for an ODP interview?

A good answer is specific, shows your own actions and ends with a result and what you learned. Spend most of your time on the action.

Worked STAR example: "Tell us about a time you raised a safety concern in theatre."

Situation: I was the scrub practitioner on a busy elective orthopaedic list. The previous case had overrun and the team was keen to start the next patient quickly.

Task: At time out I noticed the site marking was hard to see and did not clearly match the side written on the list. My job was to make sure we did not proceed until this was confirmed.

Action: I said clearly, "I need us to pause, I can't confirm the site." The surgeon was initially frustrated, so I stayed calm and explained exactly what I could see. We checked the consent form, the list and the clinic letter together, and the anaesthetist spoke with the team before the patient was fully anaesthetised. The correct side was confirmed, the site was re-marked in line with policy and we completed the time out properly. After the list I completed an incident report about the unclear marking and raised it at the debrief.

Result: The operation went ahead safely on the correct side. The team agreed to stop accepting faint markings, and our theatre lead shared the learning at the next safety meeting. I learned that speaking up early, using clear words and focusing on the patient rather than the person keeps the conversation professional.

What are common mistakes in ODP interviews?

Most mistakes come from giving textbook answers without showing judgement or your own role.

Reciting the checklist without saying you would stop if something was wrong.
Quoting doses or thresholds from memory instead of saying you follow guidelines and local policy.
Saying "we" throughout so the panel cannot tell what you did.
Forgetting escalation in emergency scenarios.
Only talking about one area when the post is rotational across anaesthetics, scrub and recovery.
Blaming colleagues in conflict or incident stories.
Not knowing the trust, its specialties or its values.
For Band 6, staying task-focused and not showing leadership, supervision or improvement.

How should you prepare for an ODP interview?

Prepare over about a week: know the job description, refresh core safety principles, build four to six STAR stories and rehearse out loud. Free help is often available from your practice educator, theatre manager, university careers service, NHS Jobs and trust websites, and professional bodies and unions such as the College of Operating Department Practitioners and Unison.

Step 1: Read the job description and person specification and highlight every essential criterion.
Step 2: Research the trust: specialties, theatre setup, values and any recent safety or improvement work.
Step 3: Refresh the WHO checklist, counts, difficult airway principles, recovery care and HCPC standards.
Step 4: Write STAR stories on speaking up, teamwork, an emergency, a mistake and learning, and (for Band 6) leadership.
Step 5: Practise answers aloud with a colleague or mentor and time them at around two minutes.
Step 6: Prepare two questions to ask the panel, such as preceptorship support or rotation plans.
Step 7: If you want more written practice, Healthcare Interview Prep is one option: a self-study bank covering 471 NHS roles, with model answers built on the NHS values and STAR. It does not offer live coaching or mock interviews.

Frequently asked questions

How long is an ODP interview in the NHS?

Many ODP interviews last around 30 to 45 minutes, but it varies by trust and banding. Some include a short scenario, a values station or a tour of the theatre suite, which can add time. Your invitation letter or email should explain the format. If it does not, it is fine to ask the recruiting manager politely what to expect, including whether there is a practical element or a presentation.

Do newly qualified ODPs get asked clinical questions?

Yes, but usually at a level suited to a newly qualified practitioner. Expect scenario questions about the WHO checklist, counts, a deteriorating patient or an airway problem. Panels want to see that you know your role, follow procedures and escalate early. They are not expecting you to act as a consultant, so answer within your scope and say when you would call for senior help.

What should I say when asked why I want to be an ODP?

Give a genuine, specific reason, such as the variety across anaesthetics, scrub and recovery, caring for patients at a vulnerable point, or working in a close team where safety depends on everyone. Link it to an experience from placement or work. Then connect it to the post you are applying for, explaining why this trust or rotation suits your next stage of development.

Is a Band 6 ODP interview harder than Band 5?

It is not necessarily harder, but it asks for more. Band 6 panels expect you to coordinate a list or area, support students and junior staff, manage changes and staffing problems, and lead on safety and learning after incidents. Prepare STAR examples showing leadership, supervision and improvement, not only good individual clinical practice. Read the person specification closely, as responsibilities vary by trust.

Can nurses be asked ODP-style questions for theatre jobs?

Yes. Theatre nurse and ODP posts often share the same safety and teamwork questions, especially on the WHO checklist, counts, recovery care and speaking up. Registered nurses will be expected to link answers to NMC standards rather than HCPC standards. Some trusts advertise posts for either profession, so check the advert and person specification to see which registration and experience they want.

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Healthcare Interview Prep is an independent NHS interview preparation website. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the NHS. Example questions and answers are original practice material, not official or leaked interview questions.

Healthcare Interview Prep: practice questions and model answers for 471 NHS roles across 11 sectors, created by a practising NHS doctor.