Your hospital has been declared a receiving hospital for a major incident. What do you understand by this, and what is your role as an ED doctor?
- METHANE: Major incident declared, Exact location, Type of incident, Hazards, Access, Number of casualties, Emergency services required
- NHS Major Incident Triage Tool (MITT): P1 (immediate), P2 (delayed/urgent), P3 (walking wounded/minor), Dead
- Hospital EPRR (Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response): statutory duty
- Command structure: Strategic (Gold), Tactical (Silver), Operational (Bronze)
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How to approach this Emergency Medicine interview question
This prioritisation question is common in Emergency Medicine NHS interviews because it reveals how you think under interview pressure, not just what facts you can recall. Use "Your hospital has been declared a receiving hospital for a major incident. What do you..." as the anchor for a concise answer with a clear opening, a clinical or professional structure, and a reflective close.
What the panel is testing
A strong prioritisation answer makes risk visible. State what you would do first, what can wait, what can be delegated, and who needs to know. Panels want to hear escalation and reassessment, not just a ranked list. For emergency medicine, keep the answer time-aware. Panels expect prioritisation, early senior involvement, concise handover, and awareness of department flow without losing sight of the individual patient.
- Triage by acuity, time-critical risk, and what can safely be delegated or delayed.
- Say who you would update, what information you need, and when you would escalate.
- Keep the answer operational: document, hand over, review again, and avoid leaving hidden risk.
How to structure your answer
For a prioritisation prompt, aim for a short opening sentence, then two or three evidence-led points, then a final reflection. If you use STAR, keep the result and reflection as strong as the situation. If it is a clinical scenario, say what you would do now, what you would do next, and how you would keep the patient safe while help is coming.
- Open by naming the main issue in the question.
- Give a structured response rather than a memorised script.
- End with escalation, documentation, learning, or follow-up.
Common mistakes to avoid
The weakest answers usually stay too vague, ignore the specific role, or miss the safety issue hidden in the question. Do not use this page to memorise a perfect paragraph. Use it to rehearse the shape of a safe answer, then adapt it to your own experience and the post you are applying for.
- METHANE: Major incident declared, Exact location, Type of incident, Hazards, Access, Number of casualties, Emergency services required
- NHS Major Incident Triage Tool (MITT): P1 (immediate), P2 (delayed/urgent), P3 (walking wounded/minor), Dead
- Hospital EPRR (Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response): statutory duty