NHS Values-Based Recruitment Decoded: What Interviewers Actually Score

**TL;DR.** NHS values-based recruitment assesses whether your behaviour reflects the values in the NHS Constitution for England and the 6Cs from the Compassion in Practice strategy. It is scored through specific behavioural examples, not through abstract claims. This guide explains the values frameworks panels work from, shows real interview questions, and walks through scored vs unscored answer patterns.

You are three days out from an NHS Band 6 interview. You have prepared six STAR examples. You are confident on the competency questions. Then you notice, in the pre-interview email, that the panel will "also be assessing NHS values throughout the interview". You have no idea what that means operationally. You start searching for "what are the NHS values" and end up with six different acronyms (6Cs, 4Cs, Trust values, Constitution values) and no clarity on which ones the panel will actually use.

If that is you, this guide fixes the confusion. Values-based recruitment is not separate from competency-based interviewing — it sits inside it. Panels score your behavioural examples on two dimensions simultaneously: did you demonstrate the competency, and did you demonstrate the values? Preparation is mostly the same as for any STAR interview, but with one important structural rule that most candidates miss.

What NHS values-based recruitment actually is

Values-based recruitment (VBR) is the practice of assessing candidates not only on skills and competencies but on whether their behaviour reflects the organisation's values. The NHS formally adopted VBR as a national standard across all staff groups, with Health Education England publishing the VBR framework that trusts implement.

The values panels assess against come from two overlapping frameworks:

**The NHS Constitution values.** The NHS Constitution for England sets out the principles that underpin the NHS. The values listed in the Constitution are: working together for patients, respect and dignity, commitment to quality of care, compassion, improving lives, and everyone counts. These apply across the whole NHS workforce, clinical and non-clinical.

**The 6Cs.** Defined in the Compassion in Practice strategy published by NHS England in December 2012, the 6Cs are Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment. Originally framed for nursing, midwifery and care staff, they have since been adopted more broadly. A separate SpecMatch guide covers how to evidence each of the 6Cs in detail.

Trusts often also have their own values framework (e.g. a trust might declare "we are kind, we are inclusive, we are ambitious"). At interview, you may be asked about the trust's specific values as well as the national ones.

The one structural rule most candidates miss

Here is the rule: **values-based questions are still STAR questions. Answer them with STAR.**

Most candidates hit a values question — "Tell us about a time you demonstrated compassion" — and start abstractly ("I think compassion is really important to me, and I try to treat every patient..."). That is not an answer. That is a philosophy statement. Panels cannot score it.

A values question is a competency question in disguise. The same structure applies:

• **Situation** (1 sentence): where you were, what was happening.
• **Task** (1 sentence): what needed to happen or what you were responsible for.
• **Action** (60% of the answer): what you specifically did. Values-based answers score on this section — the panel is looking for a moment where the value drove a specific decision.
• **Result** (1 sentence): the outcome.

When you use STAR for a values question, the value is demonstrated by the action you describe. You do not have to name the value. "I sat with him for ten minutes, used a calm and slow tone of voice, and asked if he would like a family member contacted" evidences Compassion without ever mentioning the word.

What panels score — the dual scoring model

Most NHS interview panels score each answer on two dimensions:

**Dimension 1 — Did the candidate demonstrate the competency?** Scored 1–4 against the specific competency the question targeted (e.g. communication, leadership, decision-making).

**Dimension 2 — Did the candidate demonstrate NHS values?** Scored 1–4 on whether the behaviour described reflected the values framework — typically with one value explicitly in mind for that question, but panels listen for all values across the interview.

This dual scoring is why generic or philosophical answers score poorly. They may technically contain values language, but they contain no behaviour to score. A specific worked example that demonstrates the value through action scores on both dimensions simultaneously.

Common values-based interview questions — with scored answer patterns

Question 1: "Tell us about a time you showed compassion in a difficult situation."

**Low-scoring answer (Score 1–2):**

> I think compassion is one of the most important values in healthcare. I try to be compassionate with every patient I see, because I believe that patients remember how you made them feel. When I treat patients, I always try to put myself in their shoes and think about how they would feel if they were in my position.

Problems: no moment, no specific action, no outcome, no evidence. The panel cannot score this because there is nothing specific to score.

**High-scoring answer (Score 3–4):**

> On a late shift last year I looked after a 72-year-old woman with advanced dementia who was agitated, distressed, and refusing her evening medication. The previous shift had documented her as "non-compliant". I stopped what I was doing, sat with her for around ten minutes, and spoke softly about her family — we had her daughter's photo at the bedside. I asked if she'd like to look at the photo with me. She became calmer. I then mentioned her evening tablets, explained each one by what it did ("this one helps your heart work gently"), and asked if she'd like to take them with a cup of tea. She took all of her medication. I also raised in handover that "non-compliant" was not an appropriate documentation term and explained my concern to the ward manager, who updated the team on preferred language. The patient's daughter emailed the ward the next week to say her mother had said the staff had been kind to her.

This scores well on compassion (specific moment, named behaviour adjustment, verifiable outcome), communication (adapted language to the patient's context), courage (raised the documentation concern), and care (sustained attention to the patient's wellbeing). The panel scores the competency and the values together.

Question 2: "Tell us about a time you had to speak up about something."

This is a courage question. Panels are listening for whether you can describe a moment of professional challenge, especially upwards — querying a senior colleague's decision or raising a safety concern.

**High-scoring answer (Score 4):**

> During a nightshift last year I was administering medications when I spotted that a newly admitted patient had been prescribed a dose of insulin that seemed inconsistent with their fasting glucose recorded four hours earlier. The prescription was from the on-call medical SpR. I queried it with them directly — I said I'd like to review the dose before administering because the glucose trend suggested it might cause a significant hypo. The SpR initially felt the dose was correct, but I explained my reasoning with reference to the patient's prior admission notes and asked whether they would be happy to run it past the medical registrar. They agreed. The dose was reduced from 50 units to 14 units. I documented the conversation in the notes and the patient remained euglycaemic overnight.

This answer works because it describes an uncomfortable moment, names the escalation, explains the reasoning, and produces a measurable outcome. It evidences Courage, Competence, and Communication — and the panel will score it high on all three.

Question 3: "Give an example of when you worked as part of a team to deliver something for a patient."

Working together for patients is a Constitution value. The risk in this question is describing what the team did without describing what you did. Panels score individual contribution.

**High-scoring answer (Score 4):**

> I was the lead nurse on a complex discharge involving a patient who'd had a stroke and was returning home with a new level of care need. The team involved the consultant, the physiotherapist, the occupational therapist, the speech and language therapist, the social worker, and the patient's daughter who was the primary carer. I convened a discharge planning meeting on day five of the admission to bring everyone together rather than running parallel assessments. I chaired the meeting, captured actions against each professional, and circulated the summary the same afternoon. I then held daily 10-minute check-ins with the daughter for the rest of the admission to make sure she was clear on what equipment was coming and what training she'd have. The patient was discharged safely on day 12 with home adaptations in place and a four-week community follow-up. The daughter told us the coordinated approach was what made her feel confident about bringing her mother home.

Scores well because the answer describes the candidate's individual leadership contribution within a team effort, names the specific coordination actions (convening, chairing, capturing actions, daily check-ins), and produces a patient-level outcome.

Question 4: "How do you ensure every patient is treated with dignity?"

This is a respect-and-dignity Constitution value question. It is also a trap — the generic answer ("I treat every patient with respect") scores zero. Panels expect a behavioural answer.

**High-scoring approach:**

Open by describing a specific situation where dignity was at risk and you adjusted your behaviour. Good examples: a patient having a private conversation in a ward bay, a patient with a stoma who needed continence support, a patient with dementia whose care was being discussed in front of them as if they weren't there, a patient with limited English who was being talked over in a consultation.

Describe the specific adjustment you made. Name the outcome.

Question 5: "Why do you want to work for this trust specifically?"

This is not a values question on the surface — but it is, in practice, a "everyone counts" and "commitment to quality" question. Panels listen for whether your motivation is generic ("because it's a good trust") or specific ("because the trust's approach to integrated community care matches the work I want to do").

**High-scoring approach:**

• Reference something concrete about the trust (CQC rating, a specific service, a public strategy document, a named initiative)
• Link it to something specific about your practice or ambition
• Avoid "it's local" or "it's a great hospital" — these are not answers

What to do if you freeze on a values question

Panels know that values questions can feel abstract. If you freeze, use this recovery:

1. Take a moment — say "let me think of a specific example". 2. Think of the most recent shift where a value was in play — not the best example, just a recent one. 3. Open with the situation ("On a late shift last month..."). 4. Tell the story in STAR. 5. Keep it short — 2 minutes is enough.

A concrete recent example scores better than a rehearsed but abstract answer. Panels are more interested in your real behaviour than your theoretical position on values.

Values-based recruitment myths

**Myth 1 — "You need to name the value in your answer."** False. Panels score the behaviour, not the label. Good answers demonstrate the value through action, not assertion.

**Myth 2 — "There are special values questions separate from competency questions."** False. Most NHS interviews assess values through competency questions — the panel listens for both dimensions in the same answer.

**Myth 3 — "You need to show all 6Cs in every answer."** False. Individual answers typically demonstrate 1–3 values. Across the whole interview, you should evidence 4–6 of the 6Cs. One answer showing genuine depth on one value is worth three answers scattering value labels.

**Myth 4 — "The values section is less important than the competency section."** False. Values criteria are often essential, meaning a candidate who scores strongly on competencies but weakly on values can still be screened out. Panels are explicitly told to score both.

The 30-minute pre-interview values checklist

Before your interview:

• Read the [NHS Constitution for England](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-constitution-for-england) values section (5 minutes)
• Skim the [Compassion in Practice strategy](https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/compassion-in-practice.pdf) — understand where the 6Cs come from (5 minutes)
• Find the trust's own values on their careers page or annual report (5 minutes)
• For each of the 6 values/6Cs (whichever framework the trust uses), identify one recent real moment from your career that evidences it. Not six separate examples — six value-rich moments (15 minutes)
• On the day: arrive early, skim your notes, and trust the recent examples to come to you

You will not use every example. But having them ready means you will never freeze, and you will never be pushed into abstract philosophising.

How SpecMatch helps

SpecMatch includes an NHS 6Cs alignment scorer (Pro plan) that reads your supporting statement or interview answers and highlights which values are evidenced and which are missing. The Expert plan adds the interview question predictor, which surfaces the specific values-based questions most likely to come up for your target role based on the gap analysis.

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