A 14-year-old with a ruptured appendix requires emergency surgery, but both parents need to consent and they disagree - the mother wants the operation but the father refuses. How would you manage this?

Tips to guide your answer

- Either parent with parental responsibility can give valid consent for a child's treatment - both do NOT need to agree

- Parental responsibility: married parents both have it automatically; unmarried mothers have it automatically; unmarried fathers have it if named on the birth certificate (post-2003) or via court order/agreement

- In a genuine emergency, treatment necessary to save life or prevent serious harm can proceed without ANY consent (common law doctrine of necessity)

- The child themselves may be Gillick competent to consent

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How to approach this Paediatrics interview question

This ethics question is common in Paediatrics NHS interviews because it reveals how you think under interview pressure, not just what facts you can recall. Use "A 14-year-old with a ruptured appendix requires emergency surgery, but both parents need..." 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 ethics answer makes the competing duties visible. Name the principle or legal issue, then describe the practical steps you would take in the hospital: gather facts, assess capacity where relevant, seek advice, document, and protect the patient. For paediatrics, include the child, family, safeguarding context, and senior support early. Interviewers want safe clinical reasoning and family-centred communication.

Identify the ethical tension before jumping to a decision: capacity, consent, confidentiality, best interests, or law.
Use local policy and senior advice, and be explicit about safeguarding or immediate patient-safety concerns.
Balance respect for autonomy with professional duties, documentation, and clear communication.

How to structure your answer

For a ethics 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.

Either parent with parental responsibility can give valid consent for a child's treatment - both do NOT need to agree
Parental responsibility: married parents both have it automatically; unmarried mothers have it automatically; unmarried fathers have it if named on the birth certificate (post-2003) or via court order/agreement
In a genuine emergency, treatment necessary to save life or prevent serious harm can proceed without ANY consent (common law doctrine of necessity)