3. Candour and raising concerns

Being honest when something goes wrong

GDC Standards expect you to be honest and to put the patient’s interests first if treatment does not go to plan. An apology is not, under UK law, the same thing as admitting legal liability. Patients usually want a clear explanation, a sorry, and what you will do next.

Statutory duty of candour

CQC-registered providers in England have a statutory duty of candour when a notifiable safety incident occurs (other UK nations have equivalent expectations). That is more than a quiet word in the corridor: it typically means informing the relevant person, apologising, offering an account of the facts, and following up in writing, with support. Know your organisation’s candour procedure before you need it.

Near misses

Even when the patient was not harmed, record the event, tell the right person in the practice, and change the system if you can. Hiding a near miss so the day “stays quiet” is how the next patient is harmed.

Raising concerns

If you believe patients are at risk — unsafe staffing, a colleague working outside competence, pressure to cut decontamination corners, a failing radiation process — you have a professional duty to raise that. Start with the local route where it is safe (principal, compliance lead, Freedom to Speak Up where it exists). If local routes fail or you are the problem, CQC, the GDC and public-interest disclosure law exist for a reason. Indemnity organisations can advise you on how to raise a concern without abandoning the patient.

Do not

• Alter records after the event to hide the incident
• Blame a junior in front of the patient to protect a principal
• Ignore a concern because the colleague is popular or a high earner

Link to module 3

A well-handled candour conversation often prevents a formal complaint. A poorly handled one becomes module 3’s subject: complaints, GDC referrals and damaged trust.

Always follow current GDC Standards, your nation’s candour regulations, and your written incident procedure.