6 Cs interview questions (2026)

Updated 2 October 2026 by Ben Gallagher. Sources below.

The 6 Cs are care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment. Many NHS nursing, midwifery and healthcare assistant panels still use them, so expect to be asked what one of them means in practice. This page lists the questions that draw on them and shows how to answer without reciting a list.

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Questions

Pick two of the 6 Cs and describe a moment on shift or placement when each one changed what you did for a patient.

What they're testing: Showing the 6 Cs as actions with a real patient, not a list recited from memory.

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Which of the 6 Cs is hardest to protect on a short-staffed shift, and what do you do to protect it for patients and for your team?

What they're testing: Turning a value into a leader's actions when conditions are poor, with a real example.

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Pick one of the 6 Cs and tell us about a moment when it changed how you cared for someone.

What they're testing: Turning a value into a real moment with a patient, not defining it.

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What is the difference between a task being done and a patient being cared for? Give us an example.

What they're testing: Seeing the person behind the task: dignity, conversation, noticing and doing it kindly.

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Talk us through the phone call you would make to a registrar about a patient you are worried about. What goes in it?

What they're testing: A structured, concise SBAR with the observations, your assessment and a clear request.

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You raised a concern about a colleague's practice and nothing changed. What do you do next?

What they're testing: Persisting through the right routes, including Freedom to Speak Up, while keeping patients safe.

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The ward is short and a nurse asks you to do a task you have not been trained or signed off to do. What do you say?

What they're testing: Knowing your competence, saying no safely and offering what you can do instead.

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Which of your revalidation reflections changed your practice most, and how?

What they're testing: Reflection that leads to change, in line with NMC revalidation.

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What the 6 Cs are

The 6 Cs were set out in Compassion in Practice, the nursing, midwifery and care staff strategy published by NHS England in December 2012. NHS England described them as a set of values essential to compassionate care.

Care: care is our core business, and the care we deliver helps the individual person and improves the health of the whole community.
Compassion: how care is given through relationships based on empathy, respect and dignity, described as intelligent kindness.
Competence: the ability to understand an individual's health and social needs, and the expertise and clinical and technical knowledge to deliver effective care based on research and evidence.
Communication: central to successful caring relationships and to effective team working, where listening is as important as what we say.
Courage: enables us to do the right thing for the people we care for and to speak up when we have concerns, and to innovate and embrace new ways of working.
Commitment: a commitment to patients and populations, building on the care and experience we offer and taking action on the challenges ahead.

The strategy also set six areas of action, including building and strengthening leadership and ensuring the right staff with the right skills in the right place. You do not need to know them for an interview, but they show why panels ask about staffing, speaking up and leadership.

How the 6 Cs appear in interviews

Nursing Times, summarising the strategy, notes that the 6 Cs were developed by Jane Cummings, then chief nursing officer for England, and Viv Bennett, then director of nursing at the Department of Health. Panels in nursing, midwifery and care roles still use them as a shared vocabulary: a question may name one directly or describe a scenario that tests one.

The easiest way to prepare is one moment for each C. For care, a time you noticed what mattered to a person. For compassion, a time you stayed with someone who was frightened. For competence, a time you knew your limits and asked for help. For communication, a handover or a conversation with a family. For courage, a time you spoke up. For commitment, a time you kept improving something over weeks.

Pairing the Cs with the job

Which C matters most depends on the band. A Band 5 nurse is often judged on competence and courage: working within the NMC Code's limits of competence and raising concerns without delay. A Band 6 is expected to model the Cs for others. A healthcare assistant is often asked about care and communication. A midwife may be asked about courage in escalating and compassion in loss. Link your example to the level of responsibility in the post.

What the panel scores

One C chosen and shown in action, not all six recited.
A moment with a real person and a clear outcome.
Courage and competence linked to safety, not to personality.
Awareness of the level you are applying for.
A short, direct opening answer before the story.

Questions about the interview

What are the 6 Cs in nursing?

Care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment. They come from Compassion in Practice, published by NHS England in December 2012.

Do the 6 Cs apply to healthcare assistants and care workers?

Yes. Compassion in Practice was written for nurses, midwives and care staff, and the 6 Cs are used in recruitment for support roles as well. NHS Employers' values-based recruitment also assesses candidates against the values of the NHS Constitution.

Should I mention the 6 Cs if the question does not ask?

Only if it fits naturally. Showing courage or communication in a safety story is stronger than naming the C. Use the word if the panel does.

Sources

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