Duty of candour; guidance

Duty of Candour, when things go wrong!

There are many times when things go wrong in health and social care.  What do we do?  Do we keep quiet and hope a mistake or error won't be discovered?  Do we take time to find another professional person or a manager to sit and talk things through?  Do we fill in honest and accurate information though it may feel really uncomfortable?

Medical mesh devices, Primidos, Sodium Valproate are three different issues that had led a public enquiry in the United Kingdom and the Baroness Cumberledge report 'First Do No Harm'.  Hundreds of thousands of people harmed.  Belittled, dismissed and treated with disdain.  The truth did come out and the truth was heard.  The truth can not be hidden, that is a given - it is a Universal Law.

This short course is not about that report or those medicines and devices, but about the duty of candour that should and must be employed when things have gone wrong.  This course uses the British Governments recently updated information to inform about the processes and actions to take in the event of things going wrong and when to implement the Duty of Candour

I am a qualified nurse, holistic therapist and alternative medical practitioner.  I am currently updating my knowledge that underpins nursing practice, though I will not be returning to practice this information for me, as a potential patient is useful.

I felt that the information I am currently reading would be useful for professionals and patients to ensure they too are up to date in their own knowledge base especially as Health and social care policy is changing and being updated with speed.

I hope this is as useful to you as it is to me.