Welcome to Duty of Candour & Openness (Candour)
Welcome to this course
Candour is one of the few duties that sits genuinely above any single regulator. Whether you’re registered with the GMC, NMC, GDC, HCPC, GPhC, or Social Work England, being open and honest when something goes wrong isn’t optional, and it isn’t the same thing as admitting legal fault, a confusion that genuinely stops good, honest professionals from doing the right thing at the moment it matters most.
This course covers both duties that exist, the statutory duty that applies to your organisation, and the professional duty that applies to you personally, and gives you a genuine, practical method for the conversation itself, not just the legal theory behind it.
- Explain the genuine difference between the statutory and professional duties of candour
- Apply the real, structured test for whether an incident is genuinely notifiable
- Apologise properly, in a way that’s honest and open without conceding legal liability
- Recognise that openness is an ongoing duty, not a single disclosure conversation
- Have the actual conversation, using a structured, practical method, worked through a complete case
Who this is for
Any regulated health or social care professional. This is a genuinely common course, not written for one regulator, the underlying duty is the same wherever you’re registered, even though the specific wording differs slightly across each regulator’s own code.
This course explains the duty of candour and how to apply it well. It is not legal advice. If you’re dealing with a live incident that may meet the notifiable safety incident threshold, follow your own organisation’s incident reporting policy and speak to your manager, defence organisation, or legal team as appropriate.
Structure How this course is organised +
Three modules, two knowledge checks, and a final 10-question assessment. Score 80% to unlock your certificate.
- Module 1 — the two duties, statutory and professional, and what actually triggers each one
- Module 2 — doing it well, apologising properly, timing, and ongoing openness
- Module 3 — a structured method for the conversation, worked through a complete case
Around 1.5 hours in total, worth 1.5 CPD hours.
Part of Probity & Honesty — Common Courses +
This course sits within CrownEthics’ Probity & Honesty library, common courses relevant across every UK regulator, alongside courses on financial integrity, conflicts of interest, and rebuilding trust after things go wrong.
