Our professional duty of candour
The practice aspires to deliver safe, effective care centred on patient experience. When issues arise, clinicians commit to transparency with patients and families, while the organisation promotes learning through reporting adverse incidents and near misses.
Meaningful apologies are essential for all involved parties. Saying sorry is the appropriate response — it acknowledges room for improvement without admitting liability and initiates the learning process to prevent recurrence.
Patients expect apologies to address:
- What occurred
- Actions to address resulting harm
- Steps to prevent similar incidents
Statutory duty of candour
The practice fulfils its legal obligation to communicate openly with patients or families when significant harm appears to have resulted from incidents, in line with CQC Regulation 20.