Duty of Candour

When something goes wrong in a health or social care service, you have the right to know what happened, receive an apology and understand how we will prevent it from happening again. This legal requirement is called the duty of candour.

Each year, we publish a short report to share how we have met this duty and what we have learned.

Incidents this year

In the last year, there were no incidents that required the duty of candour process.

What happens if something goes wrong

If an incident occurs, the staff member involved reports it to their manager straight away. The manager leads the duty of candour process and:

• records the incident in our complaints system
• notifies the Care Inspectorate when required
• speaks with the person affected and offers an apology
• makes sure the person understands what happened and what will happen next

We then hold a learning review. This is a simple meeting where staff and managers look honestly at what happened and agree on what needs to change. The aim is to learn from the mistake and improve the way we work.

How we support staff and residents

All new staff learn about the duty of candour during their induction. We want everyone to feel confident about being open and honest if something goes wrong.

We know that mistakes can be upsetting for both residents and staff. Support is available for any staff member involved in a duty of candour incident. Our focus is on learning, improving and making sure people feel safe and supported.

Find out more

You can read national guidance about the duty of candour on the Scottish Government website.