Duty of Candour

The professional duty of candour is the legal requirement for health and social care organisations to be open and honest with patients (or their carers) when something goes wrong with their care. Organisations must have systems and processes in place to identify when something has gone wrong with a patient’s care and to notify the patient (or their carer) as soon as possible. An explanation and apology must be provided, followed by the steps to put things right.

The publication 2013 of the 'Francis Report' heralded many changes within the health and social care sectors. The need to provide assurance for our customers that everything that can be done to keep them safe in our care was being done became a fundamental requirement of day-to-day practice.