A patient tells you they do not want their adult daughter told about their cancer diagnosis. The daughter phones the ward and asks directly. What should you do?

Respect the patient's wishes and do not disclose the diagnosis

Tell the daughter, as she is next of kin

Tell the daughter but ask her to keep it private

Refer the daughter to the consultant to decide

You are asked to carry out a procedure you have never been trained to do, and the ward is short-staffed. What does the Code require?

Decline to do it and explain you are not competent, then escalate the staffing gap

Attempt it, because the ward needs the task done

Ask another patient's relative to help you

Do it and document that you were told to

A colleague asks you to sign a medication chart for a drug you did not see given. What is the correct action?

Refuse to sign, because records must be accurate and you did not witness it

Sign it to support your colleague

Sign it but add a note that you are unsure

Sign it only if the drug is low risk

During a busy shift a distressed patient wants to talk about bad news they have just received. What does prioritising people mean here?

Acknowledge their distress and make time, or arrange for someone to, rather than dismissing it

Tell them you are too busy and move on

Ask them to wait until the end of the shift

Suggest they call a helpline later

You realise you made a drug error an hour ago. The patient seems unaffected. What should you do first?

Check on the patient, then report the error openly and honestly

Wait to see if any symptoms develop before saying anything

Correct the record so the error is not visible

Tell only the patient and no one else

Part B1 of 8 The Accountable Professional Chapter 16 of 75

NMC Code Scenario Questions: Prioritise People

NMC CBT practice on the Code: the four themes, how scenario questions test them, and worked answers on prioritising people and preserving safety.

Start reading ← All 75 chapters ~5 min read

By JobLabs Editorial · UK healthcare reference editorial team

· July 16, 2026 · Updated Jul 17, 2026 · 2 min read

The Code is the document the whole CBT is built on. It sets out what the NMC expects of every registered nurse, and Part B scenario questions are, underneath the clinical detail, just tests of whether you can apply it.

It has four themes:

Prioritise people.
Practise effectively.
Preserve safety.
Promote professionalism and trust.

You will almost never be asked to name them. Instead a question describes a situation, gives you four possible actions, and asks what you should do. The defensible answer is the one that fits the Code, and usually that means the one that puts the patient’s safety, dignity and wishes first.

What “prioritise people” means in a question

This theme covers consent, dignity, confidentiality, kindness and acting in someone’s best interests. In practice it shows up as questions where the convenient action and the right action pull apart. A relative wants information the patient asked you to withhold. A ward is busy and a patient needs time. The Code sides with the person receiving care.

The accountability trap

The most common distractor in Part B1 is the instruction you were given. “A senior nurse told me to” and “the ward was short-staffed” feel like they should protect you. They do not. Your accountability is personal, and you cannot pass it to whoever gave the order. If an instruction would breach the Code or harm a patient, the required action is to decline the unsafe part, explain your reasoning, and raise the concern. Compliance is not a defence.

Openness when things go wrong

Several B1 questions describe a mistake and ask what happens next. The Code expects honesty: check the patient, report the error, tell the person affected. Waiting to see whether harm appears, or tidying a record so the error disappears, is always the wrong option, even when the patient is unharmed. The exam rewards the candidate who acts openly and early.

Read each stem for who is at risk and what they need. The clinical dressing changes from question to question, but the reasoning does not. Next in this section: consent, capacity and the right to refuse. Five Code scenarios first.

Sources & further reading

Key takeaway from NMC Code Scenario Questions: Prioritise People

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to memorise the Code word for word?

No. You need to recognise what it requires in a situation. The CBT gives you a scenario and four actions; the right one is the one that puts the person's safety, dignity and wishes first. Learn the four themes and the reasoning, not the paragraph numbers.

When the Code and a senior colleague seem to disagree, which wins?

Your accountability is personal and cannot be handed to someone else. If an instruction would breach the Code or harm a patient, you do not simply comply. You raise the concern and act to keep the person safe. The exam tests exactly this.

Is the Code the same for internationally trained nurses?

Yes. Once you join the UK register you are held to the same Code as every other UK nurse, regardless of where you trained. That is part of why the CBT tests it so heavily.

Check your understanding

Quick quiz: NMC Code Scenario Questions: Prioritise People

5questions. Click an answer to see the explanation. Your score is saved on this device only.

1
A patient tells you they do not want their adult daughter told about their cancer diagnosis. The daughter phones the ward and asks directly. What should you do?
Prioritising people means respecting a capacitous adult's decisions about their own information. Next-of-kin status gives no automatic right to clinical details. You uphold confidentiality unless the patient consents or there is an overriding legal reason, and neither applies here.
2
You are asked to carry out a procedure you have never been trained to do, and the ward is short-staffed. What does the Code require?
The Code requires you to work within the limits of your competence and to preserve safety. Being told to do something does not transfer your accountability. You decline the specific task, say why, and raise the staffing problem so it can be solved safely.
3
A colleague asks you to sign a medication chart for a drug you did not see given. What is the correct action?
Keeping clear and accurate records is part of practising effectively and preserving safety. Signing for care you did not witness or provide is a falsified record. You decline and explain why; risk level does not change the principle.
4
During a busy shift a distressed patient wants to talk about bad news they have just received. What does prioritising people mean here?
The Code treats people's emotional needs as part of care, not an optional extra. You cannot always drop everything, but the required response is to respond with compassion and make a plan for support, not to dismiss the need.
5
You realise you made a drug error an hour ago. The patient seems unaffected. What should you do first?
Preserving safety and being open when things go wrong are both in the Code. You assess and protect the patient first, then report the error through the proper channel. Concealing it or altering records is a serious breach, whether or not harm occurred.

NMC Code Scenario Questions: Prioritise People

What “prioritise people” means in a question

The accountability trap

Openness when things go wrong

Sources & further reading

Frequently asked questions

Quick quiz: NMC Code Scenario Questions: Prioritise People

Keep reading

Record Keeping Scenario Questions

Duty of Candour Scenario Questions

Raising Concerns and Whistleblowing Questions