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Duty Of Candour Nmc

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Duty of Candour: A Nurse's Guide to Openness and Transparency



The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code outlines a "duty of candour," a legal and ethical obligation requiring nurses to be open and honest with patients and their families when something goes wrong in their care. This duty isn't just about admitting mistakes; it's about fostering trust, improving patient safety, and learning from incidents to prevent future harm. This article will explore the key aspects of the NMC's duty of candour through a question-and-answer format.


I. What exactly is the NMC's duty of candour?

The NMC's duty of candour requires nurses to be open and honest with patients and their families if something has gone wrong with their care that has caused, or has the potential to cause, significant harm. This "something" encompasses a broad range of events, from medical errors to communication breakdowns, and includes near misses. It's not about blame, but about acknowledging what happened, explaining its impact, and outlining steps to prevent recurrence. The duty extends to providing timely and honest information about the incident, its impact, and the investigation's progress.


II. What constitutes "significant harm"?

Significant harm is not strictly defined but considers the severity and impact on the patient. It goes beyond minor inconveniences and encompasses events that could reasonably be expected to cause significant distress, prolonged pain, or a lasting impact on the patient's physical or psychological well-being.

Example: A medication error resulting in a prolonged hospital stay would constitute significant harm. A minor allergic reaction appropriately managed would not. A missed diagnosis leading to a delayed treatment with subsequent complications would be considered significant harm.

III. What are my responsibilities under the duty of candour?

Your responsibilities include:

Recognising when something has gone wrong: This involves self-reflection and honest assessment of your actions and those of your team.
Apologising: A sincere apology acknowledges the patient's suffering without admitting liability.
Explaining what happened: This requires clear and understandable communication, tailored to the patient's needs and understanding.
Explaining the impact: This involves detailing the consequences of the incident on the patient's health and well-being.
Providing information about investigations: Keep the patient and family updated on the progress of any investigations.
Offering appropriate support: This can include referrals to other healthcare professionals or support groups.
Reporting the incident: Following your trust’s internal reporting procedures is crucial.


IV. What if I'm not sure if something constitutes significant harm?

When in doubt, it’s always better to err on the side of caution and discuss the situation with your senior colleagues or your designated reporting officer. Open communication within the team is vital in ensuring transparency and appropriate response.


V. What happens if I fail to meet the duty of candour?

Failure to meet the duty of candour can have serious consequences, including disciplinary action from the NMC, legal action from the patient, and damage to your professional reputation. The NMC may investigate and potentially impose sanctions ranging from a caution to striking you off the register.


VI. How can I prepare myself to fulfil the duty of candour?

Maintain accurate records: Comprehensive and accurate documentation protects you and your patient.
Develop strong communication skills: Practice clear and empathetic communication.
Understand your trust's policies and procedures: Familiarise yourself with your workplace's reporting mechanisms and guidelines on managing incidents.
Seek support: Don’t hesitate to seek guidance from senior colleagues, mentors, or the NMC if needed.


Takeaway: The NMC's duty of candour is not about apportioning blame but about fostering a culture of openness, transparency, and accountability within nursing practice. It prioritizes patient safety and well-being by promoting honest communication and learning from mistakes to prevent future harm.


FAQs:

1. Can I invoke confidentiality when dealing with a duty of candour situation? No, the duty of candour overrides confidentiality in situations where significant harm has occurred or is likely to occur. However, you should still maintain appropriate confidentiality regarding unrelated information.

2. What if the incident was caused by a colleague's negligence? You have a duty to report the incident through the appropriate channels, even if it involves a colleague. The focus is on patient safety and learning from the event.

3. What if my employer tries to prevent me from fulfilling my duty of candour? You should escalate the concern to your professional body, the NMC, or potentially external regulatory bodies. Your duty of candour to the patient outweighs any pressure from your employer.

4. Is the duty of candour only applicable to clinical errors? No, it applies to any event that causes or has the potential to cause significant harm, including communication failures, system failures, and organisational issues.

5. What support is available to nurses who have to fulfil the duty of candour? Many trusts provide support services, including psychological support, legal advice, and guidance from senior management. The NMC also provides resources and guidance on its website.

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Duty of Candour Toolkit • Duty of Candour is a legal duty on hospital, community and mental health trusts to inform and apologise to patients if there have been mistakes in their care that have led to significant harm. • Duty of Candour aims to help patients receive accurate, truthful information from health providers.

Professional duty of candour - The Nursing and Midwifery Council • What the Professional Duty of Candour is (and isn’t) • What the joint guidance says • How NMC and GMC can support doctors, nurses, midwives and nursing associates to adopt and understand the duty of candour 16

The professional duty of candour - The Nursing and Midwifery … All healthcare professionals have a duty of candour – this is a professional responsibility to be honest when things go wrong. This guidance on the professional duty of candour (Cymraeg) was produced in collaboration with the General Medical Council.

Openness and honesty when things go wrong: The professional duty of candour 29 Jun 2015 · We also added the latest details about the statutory duty of candour in England, Scotland, Wales, and the proposals for this in Northern Ireland. It was updated again on 13 December 2024 when regulation of physician associates and anaesthesia associates by the GMC came into effect.

In effect Openness and honesty Good medical when things go … All health and care professionals have a duty of candour – a professional responsibility to be honest with patients when things go wrong. This is described in The professional duty of candour, which introduces this guidance. 3.

The duty of candour: what it means for practising nurses A professional duty of candour is a key requirement of the revised Code from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2015). Nurses are also subject to a statutory duty of candour imposed on their employer.

Ten years after becoming law, is the duty of candour for doctors ... 17 Feb 2025 · Conclusions. The purpose of the statutory duty of candour was to establish a legal requirement for openness and honesty in healthcare. However, there are countless examples of the duty of candour ...

NMC refreshes guidance on nurses’ professional duty of candour 15 Mar 2022 · The UK nursing regulator has refreshed its guidance that sets out nurses’ professional duty to be open and honest when something goes wrong in health and care. The duty of candour guidance is a collaboration between the Nursing and Midwifery Council and doctors’ regulator the General Medical Council, and was first published in 2015.

Good medical prac ce ls have a duty of candour – a professional responsibility to be honest with patients. extracts from General Medical Council (GMC) and Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards and guidance. The GMC’s guidance applies to all doctors registered with it. Your duty to be open and honest with patients in your ca. ning culture by reporting adverse.

Duty of candour and community nursing 2 Apr 2019 · This article tracks the development of those duties, unpicks the slightly different requirements of each duty and discusses some considerations about the future role of candour in dealing with fitness to practise concerns at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

About Candour - openness and honesty when things go wrong All health and care professionals have a duty of candour – a professional responsibility to be honest with patients when things go wrong. This is described in The professional duty of candour, which introduces this guidance.

NMC and GMC refresh duty of candour guidance 15 Mar 2022 · Today we’ve refreshed our professional duty of candour guidance, which sets out professionals’ responsibility to be open and honest about what happened when things go wrong in health and care. The guidance is a collaboration between the NMC and the GMC, and was first published in 2015.

Duty of Candour | Fletchers Solicitors 5 Feb 2025 · Professional duty of candour: The General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the General Dental Council (GDC) oversee the duty of candour for individual doctors, nurses, and midwives. Both have the …

The professional duty of candour Nursing case studies (NMC) 17 Feb 2025 · A set of case studies published by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) with a focus on duty of candour.

The professional duty of candour - The Nursing and Midwifery … The trust manager responsible for duty of candour agreed with the community nurse that she should take responsibility for visiting the patient in hospital to apologise, explain what went wrong and offer a written apology.

The professional duty of candour - professional standards - GMC The professional duty of candour and what it means. From our guidance Candour – openness and honesty when things go wrong.

Good medical prac ce - The Nursing and Midwifery Council All health and care professionals have a duty of candour – a professional responsibility to be honest with patients when things go wrong. This is described in

The duty of candour | The HCPC - The Health and Care … 31 Aug 2024 · All health and care professionals have an ethical responsibility to be open and honest with service users and their employers when things go wrong with a person’s care. This is otherwise known as the professional duty of candour. Learn more about the duty of candour through the pages and webinar below.

Regulation 20: Duty of candour - Care Quality Commission 15 Nov 2024 · This guidance is about the statutory duty of candour. We regulate the statutory duty, while the professional duty is overseen by regulators of specific healthcare professions such as the General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and the General Dental Council (GDC).

David Oliver: How well is the duty of candour enforced in the NHS? 8 May 2024 · But the NMC does at least classify its fitness to practise or conduct hearings under the heading “duty of candour.” From 2019 to 2024 the NMC reported 33 investigations and actions into failing to report incidents or act on them.

Ten years after becoming law, is the duty of candour for doctors ... 17 Feb 2025 · How the duty came about. A 2013 inquiry into avoidable patient harm experienced at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust by Robert Francis QC (now KC) concluded: “For all the fine words printed and spoken about candour, and willingness to remedy wrongs, there lurks within the system an institutional instinct which, under pressure, will prefer concealment, …

Duty of candour | Advice guides | Royal College of Nursing 1 Dec 2024 · The General Medical Council (GMC) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have produced joint guidance on the professional duty of candour: Openness and honesty when things go wrong: the professional duty of candour.

Duty of candour - GOV.UK 5 Oct 2020 · The intention of the duty of candour legislation is to ensure that providers are open and transparent with people who use services. It sets out some specific requirements providers must...