SCA opening phrases, in your own voice

How to use this phrase bank

These are examples of natural wording, not scripts. Examiners mark what you do for this patient, and a memorised line delivered without listening often sounds worse than plain words of your own. Read them, pick two or three that sound like you, and practise saying them in your own way. The “avoid” versions are common habits we hear in practice consultations; each comes with the reason it tends to fall flat.

Introductions and checks

Short, warm and practical. On video and phone, check identity and privacy without making it feel like a form.

• Try: “Hello, I’m Dr Patel, one of the GPs. Can I just check your name and date of birth?”
  Avoid: “Hi, this is the doctor. Name and DOB please.”. Clipped admin language before any warmth sets a transactional tone.
• Try: “Can you hear me all right? Are you somewhere you can talk privately?”
  Avoid: “Is this a good time? Great, let’s crack on.”. Asking and then not waiting for the answer shows you were not really asking.
• Try: “Is anyone else with you today?”
  Avoid: “(Not asking, and finding out later that a relative was listening.)”. On video and phone you cannot always see who is there, and it matters for confidentiality.
• Try: “Thanks for waiting. How would you like me to call you?”
  Avoid: “Sorry I’m running late, it’s been a nightmare morning.”. Your day is not the patient’s problem, and it uses up their time.
• Try: “I can see from the notes that you rang about your knee. Is that right?”
  Avoid: “So, knee pain. Which knee?”. Confirming the reason invites them to correct you; jumping straight to closed questions shuts that door.

Open questions

Start broad so the patient can lead.

• Try: “What’s been happening?”
  Avoid: “What seems to be the problem?”. Framing it as a problem can feel clinical; the plain question invites a story.
• Try: “Tell me about it from the beginning.”
  Avoid: “When did it start, and is it sharp or dull?”. Two closed questions in one sentence steer the story before you have heard it.
• Try: “How has it been affecting you day to day?”
  Avoid: “Is it bad?”. A yes/no question about severity rarely tells you about their life.
• Try: “What made you decide to get in touch now?”
  Avoid: “Why didn’t you come sooner?”. The second sounds like a criticism; the first gets the same information and often the real reason for coming.
• Try: “Go on…”
  Avoid: “(Jumping in with the next question during a pause.)”. A short encourager keeps the story going; filling the gap ends it.

Getting the full agenda

Finding everything early saves you from a new problem at minute ten.

• Try: “Is there anything else you were hoping to talk about today?”
  Avoid: “Is that everything? Good.”. The closed version, said quickly, signals that you hope the answer is yes.
• Try: “Before we go into that, is there something else on your mind as well?”
  Avoid: “(Waiting until the end to ask “anything else?”)”. Late questions uncover problems when there is no time left to deal with them.
• Try: “You mentioned two things. Which feels most important to you?”
  Avoid: “We only have time for one problem.”. Prioritising together respects both of you; a rule sounds dismissive.
• Try: “Can I check I’ve got the list right?”
  Avoid: “(Moving on without summarising.)”. A quick summary of the agenda helps the patient correct you.

Picking up cues

A cue is a hint of a worry, a feeling or a bigger story. Picking it up shows you are listening.

• Try: “You said “not again”. What did you mean by that?”
  Avoid: “(Carrying on with the next planned question.)”. Cues ignored once are rarely offered twice.
• Try: “You sound a bit worried about it.”
  Avoid: “Don’t worry.”. Naming a feeling invites them to tell you more; telling them not to worry closes the subject.
• Try: “You went quiet when I mentioned your dad.”
  Avoid: “Moving on…”. On the phone especially, naming a pause is how you show you noticed.
• Try: “It sounds like it’s been a hard few weeks.”
  Avoid: “I understand.”. Reflecting what they said shows understanding; the bare phrase only claims it.
• Try: “What’s the worst part of this for you?”
  Avoid: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is it?”. A score can help with pain, but it will not tell you what matters most.

Ideas, concerns and expectations

Weave these in naturally, at the point they fit, rather than as three questions in a row.

• Try: “Have you had any thoughts about what might be going on?”
  Avoid: “What are your ideas, concerns and expectations?”. Reading out the framework sounds like a checklist and patients notice.
• Try: “Is there anything in particular you’ve been worried it might be?”
  Avoid: “Are you worried it’s cancer?”. Leading with a frightening word can plant a worry they did not have.
• Try: “What were you hoping we could do today?”
  Avoid: “What do you want?”. The blunt version can sound confrontational.
• Try: “Has anyone in the family had something similar?”
  Avoid: “(Never asking why they are so worried.)”. Family experience often explains the concern.
• Try: “How is this fitting in with work and home?”
  Avoid: “(Asking only about symptoms.)”. The psychosocial context is part of data gathering, not an optional extra.
• Try: “What would make today feel worthwhile for you?”
  Avoid: “So what can I do for you?”. The second is fine in a hurry, but the first invites a fuller answer.

Moving into focused questions

A short signpost makes the change of gear feel deliberate, not abrupt.

• Try: “I’m going to ask some quicker questions now, to make sure nothing serious is going on.”
  Avoid: “(Firing closed questions with no warning.)”. Unexplained rapid questions can feel like an interrogation.
• Try: “Some of these I ask everyone, so don’t read too much into them.”
  Avoid: “Any weight loss, night sweats, blood?”. A list of red-flag questions without context can frighten people.

Practise saying them

Read a case brief, set a 12-minute timer and run it with a partner, the AI patient or out loud on your own. The Hot Seat holds the full case bank with a scorecard for each case. The Consultation Conversation Lab drills the Relating to others skills (cues, ideas and concerns, shared plans), and Worked Example Consultations show what a passing consultation sounds like from start to finish. Then put a few of these cases into your next mock exam.

Frequently asked questions

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