Duty of candour

Why?

Our changes set out a process for registrants to follow when things go wrong which better aligns with our guidance and gives registrants clear steps to follow at a time that is often challenging and stressful.

Specific standards

Openness with service users and carers

• 8.1 You must be open, honest and candid when something has gone wrong with the care, treatment or other services that you provide, by:
  
  • where applicable, alerting your employer of what has gone wrong and following the relevant internal procedures;
  • informing service users and where appropriate carers, or where you do not have direct access to these individuals the lead clinician, that something has gone wrong;
  • providing service users and carers with a detailed explanation of the circumstances in which things have gone wrong and the likely impact; and
  • taking action to correct the mistake if possible and detailing this action to the service user and where appropriate, their carer.
• 8.2 You must apologise to a service user and/or their carer when something has gone wrong with the care, treatment or other services that you provide.
  
  

Expectations of registrants

• We have made changes to better support registrants by setting out a clearer process for registrants to follow when something has gone wrong with the care, treatment or other services that they provide (updated Standard 8.1). As part of this, registrants will need to know and understand their employer’s internal procedures.
• We have separated out the requirement to apologise to service users and/or their carer. This better highlights the centrality of apologising when things go wrong, and more clearly aligns it with our guidance. It also recognises apologising as a professional duty.
  
  

Webinar: Getting it right when things go wrong

Our #myHCPCstandards webinar below covers raising concerns, the duty of candour and how they relate to the standards.

More information