Duty of Candour - NEW

Welcome to our Duty of Candour Online Training Module. Upon completion, you will receive a certificate of completion. The course duration is approximately 1 hour and will earn you 1 CPD point. You have 6 months from the date of purchase to finish this training.

Duty of Candour
Course Duration: 1 Hour

1. Foundations of candour
• Describe the purpose and principles of candour in plain English.
• List the risks to patients and organisations when candour is poor.
• Identify where candour sits within incident response and quality governance.
2. Legal and professional duties
• Differentiate organisational duties from professional codes for clinicians and registered staff.
• Map responsibilities for a given role, team, and service line.
• Explain potential consequences of non-compliance for organisations and individuals.
• Select the correct escalation and oversight routes for a case.
3. Notifiable safety incident recognition
• Apply the two-part test: unexpected or unintended incident plus qualifying harm.
• Classify harm accurately as death, severe, moderate, prolonged psychological harm, or treatment to prevent death or serious harm.
• Decide notifiable vs below threshold and record the rationale.
• Identify common pitfalls, including missed psychological harm and over-reliance on consent forms.
4. The candour process step by step
• Plan and deliver the first conversation within appropriate timeframes.
• Set roles, arrange adjustments, and document what was agreed.
• Write a timely follow-up that confirms the apology, facts known, uncertainties, next steps, and contact details.
• Run a proportionate safety review, involve the person or family, and keep them updated.
• Close the case with a clear explanation, actions, and evidence of learning.
5. Saying sorry well
• Use effective verbal and non-verbal skills to apologise without defensiveness.
• Explain uncertainty honestly and avoid harmful phrases.
• Manage strong emotions and know when to pause, signpost, or reconvene.
• Tailor communication for bereavement, capacity issues, children and young people, and multi-provider cases.
6. Templates and documentation
• Complete a triage form that captures threshold, harm category, and reasoning.
• Produce a first conversation note, written follow-up, update log, and outcome letter.
• Build an action plan with owners, deadlines, and effect checks.
• Assemble a candour case file that meets audit and inspection standards.
7. UK nations: key differences
• Summarise how England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland differ in scope, reporting, and oversight.
• Adjust templates and language to match local requirements, including written apology and annual reporting where applicable.
• Coordinate cross-border cases and agree a single candour lead to avoid mixed messages.
8. Governance, learning, and assurance
• Turn findings into specific improvements and verify impact with data, audits, or observations.
• Build a board-ready dashboard: timeliness, involvement, actions closed, actions effective, themes, and patient feedback.
• Describe how candour integrates with incident review frameworks and quality accounts or local reporting.


Learning outcomes
1. Define candour and explain why it matters for safety, trust, and ethics in UK health and social care.
2. Distinguish organisational and professional duties and apply them to real cases.
3. Judge whether an event meets the notifiable safety incident threshold and justify that decision.
4. Deliver the candour process from first recognition to closure and learning.
5. Give a clear, compassionate apology and manage difficult conversations.
6. Produce compliant records and letters that stand up to inspection.
7. Adapt practice to the legal frameworks in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
8. Convert findings into specific actions, track impact, and evidence improvement.


We hope you find this module informative and beneficial for your professional development in Duty of Candour.

If you need more information about this course, please contact Train Healthcare directly at 0208 3266 704 or email contact@trainhealthcare.com.

Please note that refunds are not available for online training purchases.

Nursing and Midwife Council's (CPD Points).

Requirements:
It is necessary to complete 35 hours (35 Nursing CPD Points) of relevant CPD within the three-year period since your last registration renewal or since joining the register.
Of these 35 hours (35 Nursing CPD Points), a minimum of 20 hours (20 Nursing CPD Points), should be dedicated to participatory learning, which involves engaging in activities that facilitate interaction with other professionals.