Duty of Candour & Being Open – Public Consultation
Duty of Candour & Being Open – Public Consultation
On 12 April 2021, the Duty of Candour Workstream and its Being Open Subgroup published proposals for consultation covering the following topics:
- Policy options for the statutory organisational Duty of Candour; and
- Policy options for the statutory individual Duty of Candour; and
- The policy framework for Being Open guidance.
The consultation documentation is available on the Department's website.
The consultation closed on 31 August 2021, and the responses received are currently being analysed for consideration by the Duty of Candour Workstream and its Being Open Subgroup.
Organisational Responses to the consultation can be accessed via the Departments website.
Update – January 2020
The Duty of Candour Workstream and Being Open sub-group have been working to consider the available research and evidence. All this information has been considered and a Conceptual Framework has been developed for openness and candour in Health and Social Care. An up-date on the work of the group may be found here.
NIVIEW - Openness Health Survey
In January 2021, the Workstream commissioned an independent survey, which included questions relating to openness and honesty in health and social care. The Duty of Candour workstream commissioned this survey to obtain feedback from members of the public about their recent interactions with Health and social care services. The survey was an important step in the pre-consultation involvement plan, and the results of the survey will be considered as part of the ongoing development of the policy.
Get Involved in Duty of Candour
The Duty of Candour workstream and its Being Open Subgroup are tasked with developing detailed proposals to implement the Inquiry’s recommendations on candour. Find the recommendations being taken forward by the groups at the links below.
To support this work, a range of research has been commissioned to support this work. Alongside this, a series of involvement workshops have taken place with Health and Social Care staff, service users and carers, the community and voluntary sector, the dental sector, independent healthcare providers, private healthcare and social care managers, the pharmacy sector, GP's and interested groups.
Find out further information below:
Workshops
During 2019 and 2020, a series of workshop events were held to start a conversation in relation to Being Open and a Duty of Candour. Workshops were held with a number of different groups including HSC staff, service users and carers, representatives of third sector organisations, and various Health and Social Care providers including the dental sector, independent health and care providers, Social Care Managers, private healthcare providers and pharmacy managers. The presentation from these events may be accessed here.
The feedback from all events has been analysed and a summarised document has been developed for consideration by the Workstream. The summary document and the raw data upon which it is based, can be accessed here.
A list Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) has also been collated to support understanding regarding Being Open and the proposed Duty of Candour for Health and Social Care. This may be accessed here.
All this information is being considered by the Workstream and Sub-group and a series of options for public consultation are being developed. Interested persons can get involved by registering their details, or by submitting evidence (further details below)
Research
The Duty of Candour workstream and its Being Open Subgroup have published research and background papers which have been commissioned by the groups.
This research has been commissioned to help improve our understanding of how candour operates in other jurisdictions, as well as the legal and human rights issues that are relevant to a statutory duty of candour.
This research has helped the workstream to identify some of the key issues that need to be addressed in order to successfully implement a duty of candour.
The research papers published reflect the position at the time that they were prepared (as indicated on the cover of the papers) and may therefore have been superseded by subsequent policy developments. The research papers may be found below:
Research Papers
Key Analysis Papers
- Individual Duty of Candour Options Research
- Duty of Candour – Key to successful implementation
- Discussion Paper on Human Rights and Legal Issues
- Duty of Candour – Guidance and Resources
Background Papers
- Statutory Duty of Candour in England
- Duty of Candour in other jurisdictions
- Why Trust is a Must in Organisations
Call for Evidence
The Department continues to seek further evidence, to ensure that the workstream takes into account as wide a range of research as possible. Please submit your evidence, by emailing ihrd.implementation@health-ni.gov.uk or by writing to:
IHRD Implementation Programme
Department of Health
Castle Buildings
Stormont Estate
Belfast
BT4 3SQ
All submissions will be published on the Department’s website. When making your submission, please include:
- Your name and/or organisation;
- The source of your research and/or evidence; and
- Confirmation that you are content for your name to be shared when publishing the evidence.
Call for Evidence Submissions
Organisational Responses can be viewed at the link below. Please note that further submissions are also welcome and can be submitted using the contact details above.
Get Involved
If you would like to get involved in the programme of work, find out further information here or register your details here .