Duty of Candour
Everyone deserves safe, respectful, and high-quality care. But sometimes, things don’t go as planned. The Duty of Candour in Scotland is a legal requirement, which means when something goes wrong in health or social care, people are treated with honesty, dignity, compassion, and respect; and are provided with information to understand what happened, receive an apology, and that organisations learn from mistakes so that they can improve for the future.
The Duty of Candour means
If someone is seriously harmed while receiving care or support, the organisation must:
• Tell the person (or their family) what happened
• Say sorry in a genuine and caring way
• Look into what went wrong and why
• Explain what will be done to stop it happening again
• Share what they’ve learned in an annual public report
What this means for Health and Care in Shetland
Shetland Islands Council and NHS Shetland work together as a Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) to deliver community health and care services. Shetland Islands Council and NHS Shetland publish annual Duty of Candour reports.
The Health and Care services provided by Shetland Islands Council and NHS Shetland will:
• Be open and honest when something goes wrong
• Support staff to speak up and learn from mistakes
• Improve services based on what they learn
• Keep the public informed through yearly reports