Reading List

These official sources support the course content and provide the legal and practical detail used in the modules. The course follows England's CQC Regulation 20 for care-home thresholds and includes signposting to the different frameworks used in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Core England sources

• CQC Regulation 20: Duty of candour - https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/providers/regulations-service-providers-and-managers/health-social-care-act/regulation-20
  The primary England source for adult social care providers. It sets out the statutory duty, contrasts statutory and professional candour, and explains why an apology is not an admission of liability.
• CQC: Notifiable safety incidents - https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/providers/regulations-service-providers-and-managers/health-social-care-act/regulation-20/incidents
  Useful for managers and senior staff. It explains the three-part test, harm thresholds for non-NHS services, and gives care-home examples such as unwitnessed falls.
• CQC: What you must do when you discover a notifiable safety incident - https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/providers/regulations-service-providers-and-managers/health-social-care-act/regulation-20/what-you-must-do
  Practical sequence after an incident: face-to-face explanation and apology, a factual account, information about enquiries, written follow-up, and support for the person affected.
• Legislation.gov.uk: Regulation 20 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/2936/contents/made
  The original legal wording and definitions for those who need the statute rather than a regulatory summary.
• CQC: Reporting medicine related incidents in adult social care - https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/reporting-medicine-related-incidents
  Covers how incident reporting relates to duty of candour and medicines support, and why openness is required even while thresholds are being assessed.
• CQC Regulation 16: Receiving and acting on complaints - https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/providers/regulations-service-providers-and-managers/health-social-care-act/regulation-16
  Explains how candour, complaints, safeguarding and governance reviews may need to run together when a complaint reveals harm, unsafe practice or inadequate follow-up.

Other UK nations

• gov.scot: Organisational Duty of Candour - revised non-statutory guidance March 2025 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/organisational-duty-candour-non-statutory-guidance-revised-march-2025/
  Scotland's guidance on its organisational duty of candour for health, care and social work services.
• GOV.WALES: The NHS Duty of Candour - https://www.gov.wales/nhs-duty-candour
  Explains Wales' legal duty of candour for NHS organisations, which differs from England's adult social care provider framework.
• GOV.WALES: Health and Social Care (Quality and Engagement) (Wales) Act summary - https://www.gov.wales/health-and-social-care-quality-and-engagement-wales-act-summary-html
  Background on why the Welsh duty of candour is NHS-focused and sits in a different legal framework.
• Social Care Wales: Openness and honesty when things go wrong - https://socialcare.wales/resources/openness-and-honesty-when-things-go-wrong-the-professional-duty-of-candour-explanatory-guidance
  Guidance for Welsh social care staff on the professional duty of candour and expectations of openness and honesty when care has gone wrong.
• Department of Health Northern Ireland: Being Open Framework for Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland - https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/being-open-framework-health-and-social-care-northern-ireland
  Northern Ireland's framework emphasises openness, honesty and transparency; statutory duty of candour arrangements differ from England.
• Department of Health Northern Ireland: Public consultation on the introduction of a statutory Duty of Candour - https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/consultations/duty-of-candour
  Context on why Northern Ireland's position is still developing rather than matching the English model.