Be safe and sorry – own up to errors

Dr Michael Devlin answers some burning questions about how the statutory duty of candour will apply to independent practitioners.

When something goes wrong during treatment, individual doctors have long had an ethical duty to be open and transparent with the patient and try to put things right.

But following the Mid-Stafford­shire inquiry, a legal duty of candour has now been introduced for all organisations registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), including private providers.

This has prompted MDU members to contact our helpline, asking what this means for them.

Here are some of their most-asked questions and the MDU’s advice.