Duty Of Candour

Openness and honesty are essential values in the delivery of care and should form the foundation of all interactions between those providing and receiving health or social care services. When an unintended or unexpected incident occurs that has resulted in, or could result in, harm or death, maintaining trust and clear communication becomes both critical and challenging.

The organizational Duty of Candour reflects the Scottish Government’s ongoing commitment to fostering transparency and learning across health, care, and social work settings. This commitment is vital to delivering safe, effective, and person-centred services. The following guidance supports the implementation of the legal Duty of Candour procedure by all organisations providing health, care, or social work services in Scotland.

This document replaces the 2018 guidance on the organizational Duty of Candour. It has been revised based on a review of published annual reports, insights gained during the COVID-19 pandemic, and lessons learned from incidents such as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and events involving multiple individuals. The revised guidance incorporates extensive engagement and feedback from stakeholders across the health, care, and social work sectors. It is important to note that there has been no change to the statutory framework set out in The Duty of Candour Procedure (Scotland) Regulations 2018.

Key areas of focus in the updated guidance include:

  • Integration of COVID-19 and HAI considerations, aligned with the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual

  • Enhanced clarity on the benefits of the Duty of Candour, especially for care and independent healthcare providers

  • Improved signposting to national and local training resources

  • Clearer distinction between professional and organizational Duty of Candour

  • Guidance on the scope and activation of the procedure, with examples informed by real-world scenarios

  • Updated templates for statutory annual reports

  • Inclusion of guidance on recording meetings as part of the Duty of Candour process

  • Refined definition of “could result in” harm, to support accurate and timely activation of the duty

  • Reaffirmation that offering an apology does not constitute an admission of negligence

This updated guidance is intended to strengthen understanding, consistency, and confidence in applying the Duty of Candour across all relevant services.

More information about duty of cantor can be found at: POLICIES

Every year at Age Refined we must upload any incidents to Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

2021 NO INCIDENTS TO REPORT
2022 NO INCIDENTS TO REPORT
2023 NO INCIDENTS TO REPORT
2024 NO INCIDENTS TO REPORT
2025 IN PROGRESS