Duty of Candour training
This training explains your legal and professional duty to be open and honest with residents and their families when mistakes happen in care. You will learn when the formal Duty of Candour applies, what actions you must take, and how to support residents through difficult conversations. Being transparent builds trust and helps us learn from incidents.
What This Training Covers
A clear, practical grounding in duty of candour.
This training explains your legal and professional duty to be open and honest with residents and their families when mistakes happen in care. You will learn when the formal Duty of Candour applies, what actions you must take, and how to support residents through difficult conversations. Being transparent builds trust and helps us learn from incidents.
Learning Outcomes
By the end, your staff will be able to:
What Your Team Will Learn
A closer look at the duty of candour module.
The module is built in short, practical sections. Each one teaches a part of the topic, then applies it to a real care scenario and checks understanding before moving on.
What is Duty of Candour and Why It Matters
Duty of Candour is a legal requirement to be open and transparent when something goes wrong with care that causes harm. at the care setting, we must always be honest with residents and those involved in their care. This is part of our Statement of Purpose and how we lead and manage. When mistakes happen, being open helps residents feel respected, allows us to learn, and maintains trust.
When the Formal Duty of Candour Applies
The formal Duty of Candour applies to specific incidents that must be notified to the CQC under Regulation 18. These are unintended or unexpected incidents that a healthcare professional believes have caused death, prolonged pain or psychological harm, impairment lasting 28 days or more, changes to body structure, shortened life expectancy, or need treatment to prevent these outcomes. Not every mistake triggers the formal duty, but we must always be open and honest.
The Actions We Must Take
When the Duty of Candour applies, the registered manager or person in authority must take specific actions. They must speak directly and in person with the resident and relevant others. They must explain exactly what happened, apologise sincerely, provide support, say what we are doing to investigate and learn, and put everything in writing. We must keep full records of the incident and all actions taken. These steps must happen as soon as reasonably possible.
Communicating with Residents and Families
When exercising Duty of Candour, communication must be clear, honest, and compassionate. We speak directly with the resident if they have capacity and consent. If the resident lacks capacity, we communicate with their lawful representatives but involve the resident as much as possible. We use plain language, not jargon. We listen to their concerns and feelings. We give them time to ask questions. Our apology must be genuine and express real sorrow and regret.
Your Individual Responsibilities as a Care Worker
Every staff member has a duty of candour in line with their professional code of conduct. You must be open and honest in all your work. You must admit mistakes when they occur. You must apologise for them. You must put matters right promptly. You must follow all reporting and recording procedures. If you make a mistake, report it immediately to your line manager. Never hide errors or hope they will not be noticed. Openness protects residents and helps us all learn.
Learning and Preventing Future Incidents
Duty of Candour is not just about apologising. It is about learning from mistakes and preventing them from happening again. When we investigate incidents, we look at what went wrong and why. We identify changes needed to systems, training, or procedures. We share learning with all staff. We tell residents and families what we have learned and what we have changed. This shows we take their safety seriously and builds confidence in our care.
Key Points Covered
The things your team must remember.
- Duty of Candour is a legal requirement to be open and honest when care causes moderate or serious harm
- The formal duty applies to specific incidents that must be notified to the CQC under Regulation 18
- We must speak in person with residents and families, explain what happened, apologise sincerely, and put it in writing
- Every staff member must be open and honest, admit mistakes, apologise, and report incidents immediately
- We communicate with lawful representatives when residents lack capacity, but involve the resident as much as possible
- Learning from incidents and preventing future harm is essential to Duty of Candour
Who and how often
Duty of Candour is refreshed every year, for the staff in your care setting whose roles require it.
CQC and standards
Supports the training evidence CQC expects to see for a well-run, safe care setting.
How CareStream Delivers It
Not a slideshow once a year. Training that sticks.
CareStream delivers duty of candour training in the hub your team already uses, grounded in best practice and your own policies, so it fits your care setting and not a generic template.
Teach, then assess
Short teaching sections and a real care scenario, then an assessment that checks understanding.
In any language
Staff complete it in over 60 languages, while your records stay in English.
Learn and retry
A wrong answer triggers a short follow-up lesson and a fresh question, so the gap is closed.
Renewals handled
Automatic reminders at 90, 30 and 7 days, with a live compliance dashboard.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions.
Give your team duty of candour training that actually sticks.
See how CareStream delivers your mandatory training in the hub, in any language.