Candidate due diligence
Questions candidates should ask the department
The purpose is to decide whether the post is safe, deliverable and suitable, and to clarify information the job pack cannot provide. Choose questions for the person who can answer them and avoid asking for facts already stated clearly.
Clinical work and demand
What is the case mix, demand trend, backlog, referral route, cross-cover and escalation model? Which part of the advertised activity is least predictable in practice?
Job plan and resources
How were DCC, SPA, administration, travel, on-call and additional roles estimated? What staff, space, diagnostics, digital and management support are attached to the post?
Team and culture
How are decisions made, conflict handled and concerns raised? What has the department learnt from recent staff feedback, vacancies, incidents or turnover?
Development and expectations
What should the appointee deliver in six and twelve months? How are mentorship, appraisal, CPD, education, research, leadership and new-consultant development supported?
Change and risk
Which service changes are already committed, funded or dependent on partners? What are the main risks, unresolved constraints and decisions the new consultant will genuinely influence?
In-depth consultant teaching · source review 11 October 2026
Apply the evidence to consultant practice
Use pre-appointment questions to reveal real work, support, constraints and expectations without converting them into demands or rehearsed performance.
Scope: UK consultant recruitment; specific legal terms depend on contract and nation.
Questions should reduce a material uncertainty
A useful question is one whose answer might change your preparation, decision to accept or early work plan. 'What is your vision?' can sound grand but reveal little. Asking how a new clinic would be supported with nursing, administrative and investigation capacity is more testable. Adapt the question to the person who has the evidence: the clinical director, operational manager, educational lead or medical staffing team.
Do not ask a panel to predict the exact interview questions or imply special access to information. Research the public documents first so you are not requesting facts already clearly supplied in the job pack.
What to establish
- Prioritise clinical scope, escalation, workload, resources, department culture and opportunities for development.
- Note who supplied the answer and what remains subject to formal confirmation.
Test the indicative job plan against operational reality
If the timetable includes teaching, MDTs, inpatient consults and an emergency rota, ask how those duties appear in the programmed activities and which support systems they rely on. Where activity targets are stated, ask whether they reflect typical case mix, administrative time and necessary quality checks. An on-call frequency is not a substitute for understanding the actual intensity and recovery arrangements.
Useful conversations distinguish short-term induction from the expected steady-state role. Questions about SPA, annual review and additional programmed activities may require a formal employment conversation rather than a public panel exchange.
Seek evidence about culture without demanding false guarantees
Consider asking how the team learns from incidents, supports colleagues returning from leave, handles workload escalation and allocates educational opportunities. A single individual's enthusiastic answer does not validate an entire service; compare perspectives respectfully and avoid gossip.
At offer stage, summarise material assumptions in writing and clarify which arrangements are contractual, provisional or subject to future job planning. This protects both sides from avoidable misunderstandings.
Apply the teaching
The 'plenty of SPA time' reassurance
During an informal visit, a consultant says the post has 'loads of SPA' but the indicative schedule contains one undifferentiated session and several formal teaching responsibilities.
Work through the decision, trade-offs and next steps using the source-led teaching above. The paid Consultant Core Preparation plan provides more structured answers and explained follow-ups. This public article remains a complete teaching guide.
Common failure: Failing to distinguish colleagues' descriptions of their own arrangements from the advertised post's proposed terms.
Test your understanding
Do you have any questions for us?
Try a concise answer using the evidence and safeguards covered in this article. Identify what you would need to verify locally.
Primary sources for further reading
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