Welcome

Duty of candour means being open and honest when care has gone wrong. In residential care this means not hiding harm, not waiting for a complaint before speaking up, and not letting fear of blame prevent the right conversation. Residents and families should receive timely honesty, a meaningful apology, support, and evidence that the service is learning.

This course is for care assistants, senior carers, support workers, team leaders, supervisors and other frontline staff in care homes, nursing homes and other adult social care settings across the UK. It uses England's CQC Regulation 20 as the detailed care-home example because that is the statutory framework for CQC-regulated providers, while signposting Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland where candour, openness, complaints and social care regulation differ. The core practice applies across the UK: protect the resident, tell the truth, apologise, escalate, record, support and learn.

Why This Course Matters

• Residents and families deserve honesty: openness after harm is part of respectful care, not an optional extra.
• Saying sorry matters: a prompt apology and clear explanation can reduce distress and rebuild trust.
• Frontline staff play a real role: care staff often spot incidents first and shape the initial response even when managers handle formal processes.
• Candour supports learning: open records, fair reviews and follow-up action help prevent the same problem happening again.

A Simple 6-Step Learner Spine

• Make the person safe
• Tell the right senior person quickly
• Be honest and say sorry
• Explain what is known and what happens next
• Record the facts clearly
• Learn and improve

On completion you should be better able to recognise when candour may apply, know what frontline staff should do immediately, support honest communication with residents and families, and help promote a more open and safer care culture.