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Duty of Candour in Healthcare Practice

Being Open and Honest When Things Go Wrong

  • About 2 hours estimated learning time
  • 5 sections, 25 lessons
  • Checkpoints and a 15-question final assessment
  • Online, self-paced, any device

About this course

This course helps healthcare professionals understand when and how to be open, honest and transparent with patients when something has gone wrong in their care. It explains the professional duty of candour that applies to every registered professional, and the separate statutory duty of candour that applies to organisations in England, Scotland and Wales. It then works through the practical skills involved: recognising when candour is needed, speaking to patients promptly and compassionately, apologising without assigning blame, avoiding false reassurance, reflecting honestly, and building a team culture in which openness is normal.

The course draws on the joint guidance of the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Openness and honesty when things go wrong: the professional duty of candour, and on the standards of the other UK healthcare regulators. It is suited to clinical and leadership roles alike and supports ethical practice, patient safety and professional integrity.

CPD Value and How to Record It

This course is designed to provide approximately 2 hours of learning, including reading, the reflection points, the reflective account and the assessment. In the UK, CPD is generally recorded as the time actually spent learning, so you should record the time you genuinely spend, which may be more or less than the estimate.

How the course fits your revalidation or CPD requirements depends on your regulator. For example, the NMC asks nurses, midwives and nursing associates to record 35 hours of CPD over three years, of which at least 20 must be participatory; self-directed online learning such as this course usually counts as individual learning unless you complete it with others. The GMC expects doctors to reflect on CPD for appraisal and revalidation rather than setting a fixed number of hours. The HCPC, GDC, GPhC, GOC, GOsC and GCC each set their own CPD requirements, so check the current rules that apply to you. Always keep your certificate together with your written reflection.

What you will learn

  • Explain what the professional duty of candour means and when it applies.
  • Distinguish the professional duty from the statutory duty of candour on organisations.
  • Describe what the UK regulators expect of individual professionals.
  • Communicate clearly and compassionately when something has gone wrong.
  • Offer a sincere apology without assigning blame or admitting legal liability.
  • Reflect on incidents in a way that demonstrates insight.
  • Contribute to a team culture in which honesty, learning and trust are the norm.
  • Apply the duty of candour confidently in everyday practice.

Who it is for

Doctors, nurses, midwives, nursing associates, dental professionals, pharmacy professionals, allied health professionals, optometrists, osteopaths and chiropractors across the UK

Standards and law covered

Joint regulator guidance on the professional duty of candour; GMC Good medical practice; NMC Code; HCPC, GDC, GPhC, GOC, GOsC and GCC standards; statutory duty of candour in England, Scotland and Wales

Course content

Lessons open one after another as you work through the course. They unlock once you enrol.

1Understanding the Duty of Candour in Healthcare Practice5 lessons
  • 1.1 What the Duty of Candour Means
  • 1.2 Why It Matters
  • 1.3 When the Duty Applies
  • 1.4 Candour in Everyday Practice
  • 1.5 Ethical Foundations of the Duty of Candour
  • 1.6 Key Points and Knowledge Check: Section 1
2Guidance from the Regulators2 lessons
  • 2.1 Expectations Common to Every Profession
  • 2.2 What Happens When Candour Is Not Met
  • 2.3 Key Points and Knowledge Check: Section 2
3Being Open When Things Go Wrong6 lessons
  • 3.1 Responding with Openness in Practice
  • 3.2 Why Timeliness Matters
  • 3.3 Planning an Open Conversation
  • 3.4 Language Matters: Apologising Without Blame
  • 3.5 Reassuring Patients Without False Promises
  • 3.6 Candour in Particular Circumstances
  • 3.7 Summary and Quiz – Section 3
4Reflection and Insight After an Incident5 lessons
  • 4.1 Why Reflection Matters Here
  • 4.2 The Qualities of Insightful Reflection
  • 4.3 Questions to Guide Your Reflection
  • 4.4 Making Reflection a Habit
  • 4.5 Reflection in Remediation
  • 4.6 Summary and Quiz – Section 4
5Team Culture and Leadership for Candour6 lessons
  • 5.1 Candour Is a Shared Responsibility
  • 5.2 Barriers to Openness in Teams
  • 5.3 What a Candour-Supportive Culture Looks Like
  • 5.4 How Leaders Model Openness
  • 5.5 Supporting Colleagues
  • 5.6 Embedding Candour in Team Practice
  • 5.7 Key Points and Knowledge Check: Section 5
6Summary and Conclusion1 lesson
  • 6.1 Summary and Conclusion
Reflection and final assessment3 steps
  • Your reflective account
  • Final assessment: 15 questions, 80% to pass
  • Certificate of completion
2 hours

Estimated learning time

This covers the lessons, section checkpoints, your reflective account and the final assessment. Everyone works at a different pace, so record the time you actually spend in your CPD log. The player shows the time you have spent in the course to help you.

Your certificate of completion

When you pass the final assessment you can download a certificate showing your name, the course title, the estimated learning time, your completion date and a certificate number that anyone can check on this website. Keep it with your reflective account in your CPD records.

Questions about this course

How long does the course take?

The estimated learning time is about 2 hours, including the lessons, section checkpoints, your reflective account and the final assessment. People work at different speeds, so record the time you actually spend in your own CPD log.

How do I access the course after buying it?

Log in to your FTP Courses account and open the course from My Courses. The course runs in your web browser on a computer, tablet or phone, and your progress is saved to your account so you can stop and continue later.

How is the course assessed?

Each section ends with a short checkpoint. At the end there is a final assessment of 15 questions; you need 80% (12 correct) to pass. If you do not pass, you can review the course and try again after a short wait.

What do I receive when I finish?

You can download a certificate of completion showing your name, the course title, the estimated learning time, your completion date and a certificate number that can be checked online. You can also download your reflective account for your CPD portfolio.

Is this course linked to my regulator?

No. FTP Courses is an independent education provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any UK regulator. The course is CPD-aligned: it is written to help you learn and reflect against your regulator's published standards, and on completion you receive a certificate of completion stating the estimated learning time. Record the time you actually spend in your own CPD log, and decide how the course fits your CPD or any remediation plan, ideally with advice from your defence organisation, union or legal adviser.

Will completing the course guarantee a particular outcome in a complaint or investigation?

No course can guarantee an outcome. Decision-makers look at genuine insight, reflection and sustained change in your practice. The course is designed to support that learning; it does not replace it.