Question 1

What questions are asked in an NHS Psychiatry - Eating Disorders interview?

Accepted Answer

NHS Psychiatry - Eating Disorders interviews usually mix values-based questions with scenarios specific to the role. Typical themes include medical risk and MEED, refeeding syndrome, capacity assessment, mental Health Act, family work and confidentiality with young people. Every interview panel writes its own questions, so practise the themes rather than memorising answers. The 8 free questions on this page cover a spread of them.

Question 2

What band is an NHS Psychiatry - Eating Disorders job?

Accepted Answer

The questions on this page are pitched mainly at Higher specialty trainee (ST4 to ST6), specialty doctor, specialist and consultant posts. The band for any job depends on the trust and the responsibilities of the post, so always check the advert and job description. Higher bands bring more questions on leadership, supervising others and improving the service.

Question 3

How should I prepare for an NHS Psychiatry - Eating Disorders interview?

Accepted Answer

Read the job description and person specification closely, then prepare five or six real examples you can tell using the STAR method (situation, task, action, result). Revise GMC Good Medical Practice (or the GDC Standards for dental roles), consent and capacity, safeguarding, the duty of candour and patient safety. Research the trust's own values and the service you would join, and practise your answers out loud before the day.

Question 4

Which NHS values and standards should I mention in a Psychiatry - Eating Disorders interview?

Accepted Answer

Link your examples to the NHS values from the NHS Constitution, such as compassion, respect and dignity, and working together for patients. For this role, panels will also expect you to understand GMC Good Medical Practice (or the GDC Standards for dental roles), consent and capacity, safeguarding, the duty of candour and patient safety. Show these through what you actually did rather than reciting lists.

Question 5

Are these real NHS Psychiatry - Eating Disorders interview questions?

Accepted Answer

No. They are original practice questions written to reflect how NHS Psychiatry - Eating Disorders interviews are typically run. Healthcare Interview Prep is independent and not affiliated with the NHS, and nobody can promise which questions you will be asked. Use the model answers to learn structure and content, then build answers from your own experience.

Question 6

What do I get if I unlock the full Psychiatry - Eating Disorders question bank?

Accepted Answer

You get all 40 Psychiatry - Eating Disorders practice questions. Each one has what the panel is assessing, a model answer, why the answer works, key points to include, common mistakes and the NHS values it links to. It is a one-off payment of £4.99 for 12 months' access, with no subscription.

Question 7

Why do you want to work in eating disorder psychiatry, and why with our service in particular?

Accepted Answer

I can trace it back to a young woman I looked after as a core trainee during a liaison shift. She had been admitted to a medical ward with anorexia nervosa, and I remember how anxious everyone was around her. The physicians were worried about her bloods, the nurses were unsure how to supervise meals, and she was frightened and angry. What struck me was how much difference it made when the eating disorder team arrived and calmly pulled everything together: the medical monitoring, a clear meal plan, a conversation with her parents and a plan for the ward staff. I wanted to be the person who could do that. Since then I have deliberately sought experience. I spent a placement with a community eating disorder team, where I joined family therapy sessions, ran physical health reviews with the nurses and learned to interpret risk in the context of the whole person rather than a single result. I have also completed my MEED training and presented a case at our regional eating disorder network. What I enjoy most is that this specialty sits right at the edge between psychiatry and medicine. You need to think about physical risk, capacity, the Mental Health Act, family relationships and identity, often in the same conversation. I find that intellectually demanding, and I like that the relationship you build over months genuinely matters to outcomes. As for your service, I read your annual report and spoke to one of your trainees. I know you offer an early intervention pathway for young…

Question 8

A GP refers a young adult with a rapidly worsening eating disorder who reports dizziness on standing. How would you assess and manage their medical risk?

Accepted Answer

My first concern with that referral would be the combination of rapid change and a symptom suggesting physical compromise. In MEED terms, the speed of deterioration matters as much as where someone is today, so I would treat this as urgent rather than routine. I would arrange to see the person promptly, ideally the same or next working day, and if there was any suggestion of fainting, chest pain or confusion I would advise the GP that they need same day medical assessment in the emergency department. At my review I would take a history focused on intake, fluids, compensatory behaviours, how quickly things have changed and any physical symptoms. I would complete a physical examination including lying and standing observations, temperature, a muscle strength test such as the sit up squat stand, and look for signs of dehydration or poor circulation. I would request bloods and an ECG, and use the MEED risk assessment framework to rate overall risk, remembering that normal bloods do not exclude serious risk. If the overall picture was high risk, I would not manage that alone. I would discuss with my consultant the same day and agree whether this person needs medical admission, a specialist bed or intensive community support with frequent monitoring. If admission to a medical ward is needed, I would contact the medical team directly, share the MEED guidance on refeeding and physical monitoring, and arrange for our team to in reach to the ward. Alongside the medical side, I would…

Question 9

An adult inpatient with anorexia nervosa is refusing nutrition and becoming medically compromised. How would you approach decisions about capacity and the Mental Health Act?

Accepted Answer

This is one of the hardest situations in our work, and I would want to slow down enough to get it right, even while the medical risk is pressing. First I would make sure we understand why she is refusing and whether anything has changed. Sometimes refusal follows a specific trigger, such as a change in meal plan or a difficult visit, and a careful conversation with her key nurse and dietitian can open other options. I would offer choices within the plan wherever possible, such as which supplement or which member of staff supports her, because a sense of control can reduce resistance. In parallel I would assess capacity for the specific decision about nutrition. Under the Mental Capacity Act I start by assuming capacity. Many people with anorexia can understand and retain information about the risks, but the illness can profoundly affect their ability to use and weigh it, for example when fear of weight gain overrides everything else, or when they believe the risks do not apply to them. I would document her own words carefully, because that is the evidence for my conclusion. If she is already detained, I would remember that nutrition can be treatment for the mental disorder under the Act, so the question becomes whether nasogastric feeding is the least restrictive and most proportionate option. If she is informal, I would discuss with my consultant whether a Mental Health Act assessment is needed. Either way, decisions about feeding under restraint should be made by the…

Question 10

How do you keep a patient's own goals at the centre of care when they do not want treatment for their eating disorder?

Accepted Answer

I think the first thing is to accept that ambivalence is normal in eating disorders. The illness often feels protective to the person, so when someone says they do not want treatment, I try to hear that as information rather than a barrier. If I go in arguing, they tend to defend the eating disorder more strongly. In practice I start by asking what matters to them outside the illness. I remember a postgraduate student in a community clinic who was adamant she did not need help. When I asked what she wanted from the next year, she talked about finishing her thesis and being well enough to travel to her sister's wedding. Those became the anchors of our work. When her concentration was failing because of malnutrition, we could link that to her thesis rather than to my worries about her bloods. I use motivational interviewing principles: reflecting back, rolling with resistance, and helping the person notice the gap between their values and what the eating disorder is doing. I am also honest. If I am worried about medical risk, I say so clearly and explain what I would need to do if things worsened. People generally respect honesty more than reassurance. Shared decision making matters even when choices are limited. There may be no negotiation about whether monitoring happens, but there can be real choice about when, where and with whom. I write those preferences into the care plan so the whole team respects them. Finally, I involve the people the patient trusts, with their…

Question 11

Can you tell us about a time you worked closely with a medical or paediatric team to care for someone with an eating disorder?

Accepted Answer

As a higher trainee I was asked to see a seventeen year old who had been admitted to a paediatric ward with bradycardia and dizziness. Our CAMHS eating disorder team was involved, but the ward was finding things difficult. Meals were taking a very long time, the young person was walking the corridors a great deal, and staff disagreed about whether to allow her parents to sit with her at meals. My task was to help the paediatric team create a safe, consistent plan, without undermining their responsibility for her medical care. I started by meeting the consultant paediatrician and nurse in charge. Rather than coming in with a list of instructions, I asked what they were most worried about. Their main concerns were refeeding risk and the stress on nursing staff. We went through the MEED guidance together, particularly the sections on refeeding, physical monitoring and managing behaviours on the ward. I agreed with the dietitian and the paediatric team who would lead on the meal plan and the monitoring, and I offered practical advice on supporting meals, such as having a consistent member of staff present, setting a clear time limit and a plan for what happens if a meal is not completed. We agreed that her parents could support meals once they had a session with our family therapist. I also offered short teaching for the nursing team on understanding eating disorder behaviours compassionately. I made sure everything was written in a single shared plan in her notes, and set up a…

Question 12

You visit a patient with an eating disorder on a general medical ward and find that the agreed refeeding and monitoring plan is not being followed. What would you do?

Accepted Answer

My immediate priority would be the patient's safety, so before anything else I would check how she is clinically. I would review her observations, the latest bloods and whether the monitoring set out in the plan has actually been done. If there were signs of refeeding problems or other deterioration, I would speak to the medical doctor on the ward straight away so that it is managed urgently. Next I would find the nurse in charge and the medical team responsible. I would approach it as a shared problem rather than an accusation. I might say that I have noticed the bloods we agreed have not been repeated and the meal plan does not match what was documented, and ask what has happened. Often the explanation is practical: a handover was missed, the plan was hard to find in the notes, or the ward is very short staffed. I would agree on the spot what needs to happen now, who is doing it and by when. I would then make sure the plan is easy to follow. That might mean rewriting it clearly, highlighting the MEED monitoring requirements, and putting a copy somewhere the nursing team can see it. I would offer to come back the next day and to give a brief teaching session if that would help. I would document my review, the concerns and the actions agreed. Because the plan was not followed and there was potential for harm, I would also complete an incident report so that the trust can learn from it. I would let my consultant know, both to share responsibility and in case it needs raising…

Question 13

A seventeen year old patient asks you not to share information with her parents, who are angry that they are being kept in the dark. How would you handle this?

Accepted Answer

This tension comes up often, and I would try to resolve it in a way that keeps both the young person and the parents engaged, because family involvement is central to effective treatment for young people with eating disorders. I would start with the young person. At seventeen she is presumed to have capacity, so her view about confidentiality carries real weight. I would ask what specifically she does not want shared and why. Often it is not everything, but particular things, such as what she has said about her relationship with her mother, or details of compensatory behaviours she feels ashamed about. I would explain that her parents are trying to support her at home, and that they need certain information to do that safely, for example the meal plan and what to look out for. Most young people will agree to some sharing once they feel listened to. I would also be honest about the limits. If there is a serious risk to her life or health, I may need to share information with her parents even without consent, and I would tell her that before rather than after. Then I would meet the parents. Their anger usually comes from fear. I would acknowledge how frightening it is to watch a child become unwell, and explain that I cannot share everything she tells me, but that I can share general information about eating disorders, how they can help, and anything she has agreed to. I would also make sure they know how to contact the team and what to do in an emergency, which does not…

Question 14

How would you identify and manage the risk of refeeding syndrome in a patient starting nutritional rehabilitation?

Accepted Answer

Refeeding syndrome happens when nutrition is reintroduced after a period of significant undernutrition. As the body switches back to using carbohydrate, electrolytes such as phosphate, potassium and magnesium move into cells, and levels in the blood can fall sharply. That can cause cardiac, neurological and respiratory complications, so it is a real risk that we have to plan for. I would identify risk by looking at the whole picture rather than one value. That includes how undernourished the person is, how little they have been eating recently, how quickly they have lost weight, whether there are already electrolyte abnormalities, other medical conditions or alcohol use, and whether they have been purging. MEED gives a structured way of thinking through this, and our local refeeding policy sets out who should be treated as high risk. Management is multidisciplinary. The dietitian leads on the nutritional plan, the medical team prescribes electrolyte and vitamin supplementation where indicated, and I make sure the psychiatric plan fits with that. Patients need bloods monitored closely in the early days of refeeding, with regular observations and assessment for symptoms such as oedema, confusion or palpitations. Any abnormal results should be acted on promptly by the medical team, following local protocols. I think it is also important to remember the balance that MEED emphasises. Being too cautious and starting nutrition very slowly can lead to underfeeding, continued weight…

Psychiatry - Eating Disorders Interview Questions & Answers

Quick answer

Free NHS interview questions and model answers

Question 1: Why do you want to work in eating disorder psychiatry, and why with our service in particular?

Question 2: A GP refers a young adult with a rapidly worsening eating disorder who reports dizziness on standing. How would you assess and manage their medical risk?

Question 3: An adult inpatient with anorexia nervosa is refusing nutrition and becoming medically compromised. How would you approach decisions about capacity and the Mental Health Act?

Question 4: How do you keep a patient's own goals at the centre of care when they do not want treatment for their eating disorder?

Question 5: Can you tell us about a time you worked closely with a medical or paediatric team to care for someone with an eating disorder?

Question 6: You visit a patient with an eating disorder on a general medical ward and find that the agreed refeeding and monitoring plan is not being followed. What would you do?

Question 7: A seventeen year old patient asks you not to share information with her parents, who are angry that they are being kept in the dark. How would you handle this?

Question 8: How would you identify and manage the risk of refeeding syndrome in a patient starting nutritional rehabilitation?

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About this NHS interview question bank

Psychiatry - Eating Disorders NHS interview: frequently asked questions