Duty of Candour

All health and social care services in Scotland have a duty of candour. This is a legal requirement which means that when things go wrong and mistakes happen, the people affected understand what has happened, receive an apology, and that organisations learn how to improve for the future.

An important part of this duty is that an annual report is published about the duty of candour in the services.

How many incidents happened to which duty of candour applies?

In the last year there have been no incidents.

Information about our policies and procedures

Where something has happened that triggers the duty of candour, staff report this to their line manager who has responsibility for ensuring that the duty of candour procedure is followed. The manager records the incident through the complaints system and reports as necessary to the Care Inspectorate. When an incident has happened, the manager and staff set up a learning review. This allows everyone involved to review what happened and identify changes for the future.

All new staff learn about the duty of candour at their induction. It is recognised that mistakes can be distressing for staff as well as people who use care and their families. We have support available for staff if they have been affected by a duty of care incident.