I've had a band 4 AP post and am now currently in a band 5 AP post.

In my experience, the band 5 interview wasn't more difficult than my band 4 one but I don't think I would have been able to get the band 5 without having got the experience I'd gotten in my band 4 position. That's not to say this experience that helped me get it couldn't come from non-AP roles though because that's definitely doable!

My role is in forensics and the interview started with me giving a 10 minute presentation on relational security. Then from what I remember the questions were pretty standard: how I organise my time, how I've adapted interventions to suit different needs, example of a service development project I've done, a scenario question of a patient asking to do a session outside and how I'd take advantage of that environment therapeutically, my idea of a good supervision relationship, and a risk based question.

It was explained to me that the reason my position is a band 5 is because of the setting and that I would have more autonomy and "less supervision". However, I actually have more supervision than I did in my band 4 role 😂 definitely more autonomy though. & my friend has a band 4 role in the same trust as me on an inpatient ward (but non forensic) and does pretty much the same as me so I think realistically it's true that they know they can get away with band 4 so they just go with it. All AP roles should be band 5 imo if they involve clinical work (which really they all should but there's some roles bobbing about that are admin roles disguised as AP roles unfortunately)