Commenting on the 6 December announcement by the Department of Health and Social Care about a review into duty of candour, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Rob Behrens said: "I have long called for closer openness and transparency when things go wrong in the NHS. The duty of candour was intended to reinforce this. However, a decade after its introduction, our Broken Trust report into avoidable deaths in the NHS found that the duty is not always implemented as it should be and called for a full review to assess its effectiveness. I welcome this announcement and the opportunity to contribute the expertise and evidence from my office.
“Despite it being a statutory duty to be open and honest when things go wrong with a patient’s care, I know from the cases we investigate that this doesn’t always happen. Patients and their families deserve better.”
