The Duty of Candour guidance, which outlines professionals' responsibility about being open and honest in incidents when things go wrong in health and care, has been updated in collaboration between the NMC and the GMC in March 2022.
The guidance now contains updated elements about reporting systems, terminology, and the support available to health and care professionals. The update solely refreshes the guidance and does not introduce any new or additional requirements for professionals.
“It’s vital that health and care professionals understand their responsibility to be open and honest with people who use services, their employers, and the NMC. This will help us all to understand how and why things went wrong, and avoid similar incidents in the future.
According to the NMC (2022), there are two parts to the Duty of Cadour guidance:
1. Nurses, midwives and nursing associates have a duty to be open and honest with the people who use services, and those close to them. This includes explaining when and why things have gone wrong, and apologising to them.
2. Professionals also have a duty to report incidents, and be open and honest with their colleagues, managers, and employers. This might include their health board, trust or head office, and the NMC.
To learn more about the updated guidance, join our Implementing the Duty of Candour with Empathy Masterclass, facilitated by Peter Walsh, Chief Executive, Action against Medical Accidents, and Carolyn Cleveland Founder and Owner of C & C Empathy Training.
This masterclass will cover the new guidance and provide participants with an in-depth knowledge of what needs to be done to comply with the duty of candour; clarify ‘grey areas’ and provide advice on dealing with difficult situations which may arise. It will provide participants with an understanding of good practice in implementing the duty and, in particular doing so in a meaningful way with empathy, to not only comply, but to work with patients and loved ones in a way that puts the emotional experience at the heart of communication.
I’d just like to thank you for this event, it was inspiring, thought-provoking and one of the best seminars I’ve attended. I’ve definitely taken things from the day, and will be making changes to my practice because of it.
To read more about our masterclass, click here. To read the NMC's report on the refreshed guidance, visit the NMC website.