Duty of candour a ‘tick box exercise’ for overworked leaders, says watchdog

Senior leaders are resorting to “ticking the duty of candour box” instead of developing a “just and learning” culture in their organisations because their bandwidth is full, the patient safety commissioner has said.

Speaking with HSJ as she begins the second year of her first term in the newly-established role, Henrietta Hughes said the bandwidth of senior leaders is “too full for them to make and maintain the necessary culture change”.

She warned the duty of candour — giving patients and families the right to receive open and transparent communication when care goes wrong — gets seen as a “bit of a tick box exercise, ‘doc tick’ as it’s described to me, which is a bit depressing really”.

A GP herself, she said individual doctors typically respond to concerns or they are handled by someone who knows the patient. Elsewhere, complaints are often addressed through a chief executive’s office, once all staff have provided written statements, she said.

She added: “[In general practice] it feels more compassionate and empathetic… I find it’s often quicker to have a conversation with the patient before it turns into a formal complaint and resolves it quickly.”

“What needs to change is that [NHS] trusts are currently held accountable to a very narrow set of criteria — financial and operational performance,” she said.

“This is how we will improve safety and experience, transparency, a just and learning culture, and improve morale.”

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Source: HSJ, 30 January 2024