Duty of candour in medicine

The statutory duty of candour for healthcare providers was part of the response to the findings of the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust ('Mid-Staffs') public inquiry. The inquiry found multiple instances of poor care and lack of transparency towards patients and relatives, in which staff knew that care was inadequate but did not speak up or otherwise try to address those failings. Good Medical Practice has set down a professional duty of candour for many years, requiring that doctors be open and honest with patients if things go wrong. With the duty of candour, those standards became required and enforceable by law.