Healthcare Assistant (HCA) Interview Questions and Answers (NHS, 2026)

Do not rely on the numbers alone. Stay with the patient, tell the nurse straight away what you see and what she says, give the observations you took, and do what the nurse asks. Record it afterwards. A patient who looks wrong is a reason to speak up even when the chart looks fine.

On a ward I took observations on a lady whose numbers were all within the normal range. But she was pale and clammy, quieter than in the morning, and said she felt odd. I did not walk away. I told her I was going to fetch the nurse, pressed the call bell to keep someone close, and found the nurse in charge. I said, 'Mrs B's observations are in range, but she looks grey, she is sweaty and she says she feels odd. I think you should see her now.' The nurse came, repeated the observations and found her blood pressure had dropped slightly from her morning reading. She called the doctor, and the patient was started on treatment for an infection. I recorded my observations and what I had noticed. I learned that what I see and hear matters as much as a number.

Respect the refusal, because a patient with capacity can say no. Ask gently why, explain what the observations are for, offer to come back in a little while, and tell the nurse so she can speak to the patient and decide what to do. Record that you offered and that they declined.

A gentleman told me he was fed up of being woken to have his blood pressure taken and refused. I did not argue. I said I understood and explained that the observations help us pick up changes early, and asked if he would be happier if we did them after breakfast. He said he would think about it. I told the nurse that he had declined and why. She went and talked to him about what he wanted, and agreed with him that his observations could be taken at a set time when he was awake rather than overnight, while she checked with the doctor that this was safe. I wrote down on the chart that I had offered and he had declined at that time. He agreed to the later time and the observations were done.

Stay with the patient, reassure them and call for the nurse straight away. Do not lift them yourself or let them get up. Follow the trust's post-fall procedure: the nurse checks for injury, equipment is used to move them safely, and the fall is recorded and reported.

I found a gentleman on the floor by his bed early in a night shift. I knelt down, spoke to him, asked if he was in pain and checked that he was breathing normally and responding. I pressed the emergency call bell and shouted for the nurse so I would not leave him. I did not lift him or let him try to get up, even though he wanted to, because he might have a fracture or a head injury. The nurse checked him over, did observations and asked for the doctor, and we used the hoist with a lifting cushion when they said it was safe. I wrote down what I had seen and times, and completed the falls record with the nurse. I know that the hospital has a post-fall procedure for moving people safely, and I follow it every time.

Tell the patient what you have seen and take the pressure off the area. Report it to the nurse straight away, because she needs to assess and grade it. Record where, what it looks like and when you saw it. Make sure the patient is repositioned and the heel is protected until the nurse decides on a plan.

While washing a lady on a medical ward I noticed a red patch on her heel that was sore to touch. I put a pillow under her calf so her heel was floating, and told her what I was doing and why. I finished her wash gently, told the nurse in charge, and showed her the area. She assessed it and arranged for a pressure-relieving mattress and boots, and asked me to help the lady change position regularly. I recorded the area on the body map and in the notes with the time. I also pay particular attention to heels and the base of the spine now, and I tell the nurse about any redness that I see, because early action stops it becoming a wound.

Stay calm and walk with the person rather than blocking the way. Ask where they are going and why, use reassurance or a gentle distraction, and tell the nurse so the risk is managed. Safety matters, but so does asking what the person is trying to do.

A gentleman with dementia kept going to the ward door in the afternoon. I walked beside him and asked where he was heading. He told me he needed to collect his children from school. I did not argue or tell him they were grown up. I said, 'It's a long walk, let's sit down and have a cup of tea while we think about it,' and he sat down. I told the nurse in charge, who reviewed his risk assessment and asked the doctor to check for pain or infection which can make people more restless. We also asked his daughter for photographs and stories so we could talk to him about what mattered to him. After that we noticed he was often restless around three o'clock, so we planned a regular activity for that time. He did not need to be restrained and he felt heard.

Do not question her or decide what caused the bruises. Make sure she is comfortable, tell the nurse in charge straight away, and write down exactly what you saw, where and when. The nurse will follow the safeguarding procedure. Do not promise secrecy, and do not discuss it with other patients.

While helping a lady dress I noticed bruises on both of her upper arms in a pattern that looked like fingermarks. She did not say anything and I did not ask her how she got them, because I did not want to lead her or distress her. I finished helping her, made sure she was comfortable, and went to the nurse in charge straight away. I told her what I had seen, where, and the time, and I wrote it in the notes as facts. The nurse looked at the arms, asked the patient gently about them and raised a safeguarding concern with the trust's safeguarding team. I was asked a few questions about what I had seen and I told them exactly that. I have been trained that I do not have to be sure something is abuse to report it; it is the nurse and the safeguarding team who decide.

If someone is being hurt, step in calmly and make sure the patient is safe. Then report it to the nurse in charge or manager straight away, and use the incident or safeguarding route. If it is not dealt with, raise it with the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian. Loyalty to a colleague never outranks a patient's safety.

I once saw a colleague pull a confused patient up by one arm when he was slow to stand. I said calmly, 'Can I help? Shall we use the standing aid?' and took over so that the patient was safe. I reassured him and checked his arm was not sore. Afterwards I told the nurse in charge what I had seen. I knew it was not easy to report a colleague, but the Code of Conduct for healthcare support workers says we have a duty to be accountable for what we do and for what we fail to report. She spoke to my colleague, who was upset and short of time, and the manager arranged moving and handling refresher training for the team. If nothing had happened I would have used the incident system and the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian.

Say clearly and politely that you are not signed off for the task, explain that you want to keep the patient safe, and offer what you can do instead. Ask for the task to be done by someone competent, or for training and supervision for the future. Never do it quietly and hope for the best.

On a short-staffed shift a nurse asked me to dress a complex wound that I had never been taught. I said, 'I haven't been signed off to do dressings like that and I don't want to get it wrong. Can I take the observations and help the patient wash so you have time to do it, or could I watch you first?' She agreed. I took over the observations and the washing, and she did the dressing while I watched, which helped me understand the dressing but did not sign me off. Afterwards I asked my line manager about the training and competency assessment I would need before I could do it myself. I would rather say no politely than do something I am not competent in, because the NMC Code says nurses may only delegate what is within someone's competence.