Intervooh · Interview questions by job · Healthcare & NHS
Occupational Therapist interview questions (2026)
Occupational Therapist interviews in the UK are assessed on person-centred assessment, goal-setting & graded intervention, discharge planning & mdt, usually across 2 stages — competency and behavioural questions, then panel interview. The 12 questions below are the ones actually asked, each with what a strong answer does.
Researched, current questions asked in real occupational therapist interviews in the UK (Healthcare & NHS), with what a strong answer actually does. Questions marked 2026 are the newer, AI-era questions employers now ask. Last reviewed 2026-07-22.
Build my free day-by-day prep plan →
Tell it the company, role and date; it does the rest. Free, no card.
What they assess
- Person-centred assessment
- Goal-setting & graded intervention
- Discharge planning & MDT
- Communication & advocacy
- Evidence-based practice & CPD
How a occupational therapist interview usually runs
- Competency and behavioural questions
- Panel interview
The questions to expect
Talk us through assessing whether an older patient is safe to go home after a fall.
Function over diagnosis: washing, dressing, kitchen and stairs assessment, home environment, equipment, carer input. End with the risk-vs-independence balance.
A patient's goals conflict with what their family wants for them. How do you handle it?
The patient's goals lead if they have capacity — advocate for them while bringing the family along. Positive risk-taking, named and documented.
Tell us about a complex discharge you coordinated with the MDT and community services.
Name the moving parts — equipment ordered, care package, family briefed, community OT handover — and the piece only you saw was missing.
Give an example of grading or adapting an activity to rebuild someone's independence.
Show the therapy thinking: the occupation that mattered to them, broken into achievable steps, upgraded as they progressed. That's OT's craft.
How do you explain the value of occupational therapy to colleagues who see it as 'just equipment and discharge'?
One sentence on occupation as health, one example where OT changed the outcome. Advocacy for the profession is a real interview competency.
What does evidence-based practice look like in your OT work? Give a recent example.
A named model or outcome measure (MOHO, Barthel, COPM) applied to a real case, plus your HCPC-ready CPD habit. Specifics beat theory.
Why occupational therapy — and what drew you to this setting?
Your one-line case for occupation as the route to health, then the setting: acute pace, community relationships, mental health — pick truthfully.
Virtual home assessments and smart equipment are increasingly used. Where do they work, and when do you insist on being in the house?2026
Video works for follow-ups and simple equipment checks; complex risk, cognition and family dynamics need your feet on their carpet. Judgement, stated plainly.
'Improving lives' is an NHS value — arguably OT's whole job. Tell us about a patient whose daily life you changed.
Pick one occupation regained — cooking again, back at work, school mornings managed — and let the human detail carry it. Small is powerful.
What are the six NHS values, and which one means the most to you in practice?
Name all six, then go deep on one with a real story. Working together for patients; respect and dignity; commitment to quality of care; compassion; improving lives; everyone counts.
Give an example of when you provided care in line with one of the six NHS values.
Name the value first, then STAR. Small, true moments — a frightened patient you stayed with — score better than grand claims.
A patient's relative is angry about the care their loved one has received. How do you respond?
Listen without defending, acknowledge the feeling, find the fact, escalate or signpost PALS/complaints if needed. Calm and curious beats reassurance.
How to prepare for a occupational therapist interview in the UK
Band 5 OT interviews centre on functional assessment scenarios and discharge planning, scored against the six NHS values — practise talking through a home-safety assessment aloud. Know HCPC standards and RCOT's career framework, and bring placement stories for every competency.
How Healthcare & NHS interviews are run in 2026
- NHS trusts use values-based recruitment: structured panels score every answer against the six NHS Constitution values, alongside clinical scenario and prioritisation questions.
- Band 5 panels (ward manager, practice development nurse, sometimes HR) run 30-45 minutes; many trusts hold recruitment days with numeracy/literacy tests and same-day conditional offers.
- First rounds are increasingly on MS Teams, but clinical roles almost always finish with an in-person panel; expect questions on digital records, e-observations and AI-assisted tools.
Turn this into a plan
A list of questions is a start; a programme is what changes the outcome. Intervooh builds a day-by-day plan for your exact occupational therapist interview — company research, story building with an AI coach, spoken practice with delivery feedback, and scored mock interviews. It never writes your answers for you.
Related Healthcare & NHS roles
- Dental Nurse interview questions
- Healthcare Assistant interview questions
- Junior Doctor interview questions
- Mental Health Nurse interview questions
- Midwife interview questions
- Nursing Associate interview questions
- Paramedic interview questions
- Pharmacist interview questions