The Duty of Candour is a fundamental principle in health and social care, ensuring providers act with transparency and honesty, especially when something goes wrong. This legal requirement, set out in Regulation 20 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, applies to all registered providers and managers delivering care services.
What Is the Duty of Candour?
The Duty of Candour requires care providers to:
- Be open and transparent with individuals receiving care.
- Inform people promptly when a notifiable safety incident occurs.
- Provide a truthful account, offer reasonable support, and issue an apology.
- Explain steps taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Importantly, an apology under this regulation is not an admission of liability. It simply acknowledges that the care experience could have been better.
Why Is It Important?
- Builds trust between providers and service users.
- Reduces the risk of legal repercussions and escalated complaints.
- Promotes ethical practice and patient-centred care.
- Ensures compliance with Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards.
Key Points to Remember
- Applies to all CQC-regulated services.
- Covers notifiable safety incidents where harm has occurred.
- Professional regulators such as the GMC and NMC also enforce candour within their codes of practice.
- Prompt communication and transparency are essential for maintaining quality and safety standards.
Continuous Improvement
Achieving compliance with the Duty of Candour is a commendable milestone. At Hartwig Care, our goal is to maintain a minimum rating of GOOD across all branches. While progress has been made, we continue to identify areas for improvement to ensure the highest standards of care.
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