Question 1

Why do you want to work in medical records?

Accepted Answer

I've always been the person who likes things in the right place, and I'll be honest, that's part of it. In my last job I worked in a warehouse doing stock picking, and I got a real satisfaction from a shift where every order went out right first time. But what pulled me towards medical records was something more personal. A couple of years ago my nan went to an outpatient appointment and the consultant didn't have her notes. They'd been sent to another clinic and hadn't come back. The doctor was kind about it, but he couldn't see her previous scan results, so she was sent away and had to come back three weeks later. She was anxious the whole time. That stuck with me, because nobody in that room had done anything wrong, it was just that a folder wasn't where it should have been. So when I read about this role, it clicked. I understand that I wouldn't be treating anyone, but if the notes are there, complete and filed in the right set, the doctor can make a safe decision. If they're not, the patient pays for it. I like the idea of a job where accuracy actually matters to someone. I've also looked at what the day involves: pulling notes for clinics, tracking them, filing loose letters, scanning, and handling urgent requests. I know it's physical and it can be repetitive, and I know clinics can get pressured. I'm comfortable with that. I'm patient, I don't cut corners, and I like being part of a team that keeps things running.

Question 2

Which NHS value do you think matters most in a health records role, and why?

Accepted Answer

The six NHS values are working together for patients, respect and dignity, commitment to quality of care, compassion, improving lives, and everyone counts. For a records role, I'd pick commitment to quality of care, because the quality of what we do lands directly on the patient even if they never see us. To me that value means getting the small things right every time, not just most of the time. Filing a letter into the wrong set of notes is a tiny physical action, but it can mean a consultant reads the wrong result or that one patient's private information ends up in front of someone else. So quality for me means checking at least two identifiers on every document, ideally the NHS number and date of birth as well as the name, and never assuming. I showed that in my current job at a pharmacy, where I do the dispensary filing and the delivery paperwork. We had a pile of signed delivery slips that had built up, and the quick way to clear them was to file by surname. I noticed we had two customers with the same surname on the same street. I slowed down and matched every slip against the address and date of birth, and I flagged to the manager that we should file by a unique reference instead. It took me an extra half hour, but nothing ended up in the wrong place. I'd say respect and dignity runs alongside that, because looking after someone's records properly is a way of respecting them. Their notes hold the most private details of their life.

Question 3

Someone phones the records department saying they are a patient's daughter and asks whether her mum has an appointment next week. What do you do?

Accepted Answer

My first thought would be that I can't confirm anything over the phone, not even that her mum is known to the hospital, because simply being a patient here is confidential information. I'd say that kindly, though, because she's probably worried or trying to help. I'd say something like, "I completely understand you want to help your mum. I'm afraid I'm not able to share any information about a patient over the phone, including whether they have an appointment, because I've no way of confirming who I'm speaking to and whether your mum has agreed to it. The best thing is for your mum to call us herself, or if she's happy for you to help, she can let the appointments team know and they'll explain how that works." I'd give her the number for the appointments or booking team rather than just saying no and leaving her stuck. If she got frustrated, I'd stay calm and not get drawn into hinting. People sometimes say, "Just tell me yes or no", and that's exactly when it would be easy to slip. I wouldn't. If anything in the call worried me, say she sounded like her mum couldn't manage and might be at risk, I wouldn't ignore it. I'd let my supervisor know, and they'd decide whether it needed passing on to the safeguarding team or the patient's clinical team. Afterwards I'd mention it to my supervisor anyway if it felt unusual, and I'd follow our department's process for recording calls like this. Every trust has slightly different procedures, so I'd make sure I knew ours from day one.

Question 4

While filing, you find a clinic letter for a different patient inside the notes you are working on. What would you do?

Accepted Answer

I'd stop what I was doing first, because it's tempting to just pull the letter out, refile it and carry on, and that wouldn't be enough. I'd check carefully that it really is a different patient, comparing the NHS number, name and date of birth on the letter with the front of the notes. Sometimes you get two people with very similar names, so I wouldn't rely on the name alone. Once I was sure, I'd take the letter out and make sure it got into the correct patient's notes, or if those notes weren't in the library I'd find out from the tracking system where they were so it could go there, or into that patient's loose filing in line with our process. Then I'd tell my supervisor straight away. There are two problems here. One is safety. If that letter was in the wrong notes when they went to a clinic, a doctor might have read it and made a decision based on someone else's results. The other patient might also have had an appointment without that letter, so their doctor didn't have the full picture. The second problem is confidentiality, because one patient's private information has been in another patient's record. I'd expect it to be reported through the incident reporting system, Datix or whatever the trust uses. My supervisor would know whether the clinical teams need telling so they can check if any decisions were affected, and the information governance team may need to look at it too. I wouldn't decide on my own that no harm was done. Finally, I'd want to understand how it…

Question 5

A&E phones saying they urgently need a patient's notes. The tracking system says they are in the library, but they are not on the shelf. What do you do?

Accepted Answer

The first thing I'd do is keep the A&E team informed, because they're dealing with a patient right now. I'd say, "The system shows they're in the library but they're not on the shelf, I'm searching now and I'll call you back within ten minutes either way." I'd take a direct number so I can actually call them back. Then I'd search methodically rather than panic. I'd check the shelves either side and the one above and below, because notes often get put back a slot out. I'd check the terminal digit or number range has been read correctly, in case two digits got swapped. Then the returns trolley, the filing trays, the scanning area and the desk where notes are prepared for clinics, because they may have come back and not been shelved yet. I'd also look at the patient's tracking history to see the last few movements. If they were last at a particular clinic or with a secretary, I'd ring there. If I still couldn't find them, I'd tell my supervisor straight away, and I'd call A&E back as promised. I'd let them know the notes can't be found yet, and that a lot of information may be available electronically, like results, letters and discharge summaries, depending on what our trust uses. The clinicians decide how to manage the patient. It's not my job to make them wait. Depending on local policy, a temporary set of notes might be created, which is clearly marked and merged with the main set once it turns up. I'd follow that process exactly. Afterwards I'd report it as an incident if…

Question 6

A clinic receptionist rings you, clearly annoyed, because several sets of notes for this morning's clinic haven't arrived. How would you handle the call?

Accepted Answer

I'd let her say what she needs to say first. She's got a waiting room filling up and a consultant asking where the notes are, so her frustration makes sense, and if I interrupt to defend the department it'll only make the call longer. Then I'd say something like, "I'm sorry, I can see that's putting you in a difficult spot. Can you give me the patient names or numbers and appointment times, and I'll check each one now." I'd prioritise by appointment time, so the 9 o'clock patients come first. For each set I'd check the tracking system. Some might have been pulled and be sitting on a trolley waiting to go. Some might be tracked to another department or a secretary. Some might be missing. I'd ring her back with a clear update on each one, not just a general "we're working on it". If they're ready, I'd ask whether I can run them over myself or get a porter, depending on how we do it. If any are tracked elsewhere, I'd chase them directly. If any genuinely can't be found, I'd tell my supervisor and let the clinic know, so the clinician can decide what to do, using electronic results and letters where they're available. I'd stay polite even if she was short with me. It's not personal, it's pressure. Afterwards I'd want to know why it happened. Was the clinic added late? Was the pull list printed before the extra patients were booked? Were we short of staff? I'd mention it to my supervisor, because if there's a pattern, we can fix the process, and it might be worth agreeing with…

Question 7

Tell us about a time you worked well as part of a team.

Accepted Answer

When I worked in a supermarket I was part of the overnight replenishment team. One night two people called in sick, and we had a big delivery plus a full shop reset for a promotion that had to be done before the store opened at seven. Our shift leader got the five of us together for a couple of minutes at the start and we agreed a plan. I suggested we do the chilled and frozen first because they couldn't sit out, then split the promotion reset between two people, while the rest worked through the ambient cages. I took the chilled side because I knew those sections well. About halfway through I'd finished my bit early, so rather than starting something new on my own, I went and asked who was struggling. One colleague was quite new and was getting behind on the reset because she didn't know the planogram codes. I spent twenty minutes working alongside her and showing her how to read them, and after that she was much quicker. We finished at about half six. It wasn't perfect, a couple of shelf labels needed fixing in the morning, and we flagged those in the handover note so the day team knew. What I took from it is that good teamwork isn't just doing your own job well. It's checking in, sharing what you know, and being honest at handover about what's not finished. I think that fits a records library really well, where clinics depend on everyone pulling together on the pull list and nothing should be left half done without someone knowing.

Question 8

How would you check that a document you have scanned is of good enough quality and is indexed to the right patient?

Accepted Answer

I'd think of the scanned copy as the record itself, because in many trusts once a document is scanned and checked, the electronic image is what clinicians rely on. So it has to be complete, readable and in the right place. Before scanning, I'd prepare the papers properly. Remove staples and paper clips, flatten folded corners, repair any torn pages if our process allows, and check whether pages are double sided. I'd make sure each document clearly has patient identifiers on it, ideally the NHS number, so it can be matched with confidence. After scanning, I'd check the image against the original. Is every page there, including the back of any double-sided ones? Is it straight and readable, including handwriting, signatures and anything in pen or highlighter that might scan faintly? Are dates and numbers clear? If not, I'd rescan, adjusting the settings if I need to. For indexing, I'd match the document to the patient using at least two identifiers, not just the name. I'd check the NHS number or hospital number, name and date of birth all agree. Then I'd index it under the right document type and date, so a clinician can find a discharge summary under discharge summaries rather than buried under correspondence. If something didn't match, for example the NHS number on the letter belonged to a different name, I wouldn't guess. I'd set it aside and raise it with my supervisor or the data quality team. I'd also follow our quality assurance process, which might include a second…

Medical Records Interview Questions & Answers

About this NHS interview question bank

Free NHS interview questions and model answers

Question 1: Why do you want to work in medical records?

Question 2: Which NHS value do you think matters most in a health records role, and why?

Question 3: Someone phones the records department saying they are a patient's daughter and asks whether her mum has an appointment next week. What do you do?

Question 4: While filing, you find a clinic letter for a different patient inside the notes you are working on. What would you do?

Question 5: A&E phones saying they urgently need a patient's notes. The tracking system says they are in the library, but they are not on the shelf. What do you do?

Question 6: A clinic receptionist rings you, clearly annoyed, because several sets of notes for this morning's clinic haven't arrived. How would you handle the call?

Question 7: Tell us about a time you worked well as part of a team.

Question 8: How would you check that a document you have scanned is of good enough quality and is indexed to the right patient?

Unlock 32 more NHS interview questions