Overview
The General Medical Council (GMC) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have produced joint guidance on the Duty of Candour: Openness and honesty when things go wrong: the professional duty of candour. It sets out professional standards on what nursing staff in the UK should do if something goes wrong during patient care.
The standards promote openness and honesty with patients, colleagues and employers in instances where something has gone wrong.
The guidance follows the publication of Sir Robert Francis’ Freedom to Speak Up review, which called for a more open and transparent culture in health care, in response to the patient care failures at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
If you are worried about what to do, read the guidance above and call us on 0345 7726100 before taking any action.