05
Dec 2014
Honesty being put at the heart of healthcare under new guidelines for doctors, nurses and midwives
A public consultation on draft joint guidance has been launched by the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council, to encourage doctors, nurses and midwifes to be open and honest about mistakes.
The guidance covers the need to learn from when something goes wrong and a patient is harmed in some way, as well as advising on apologising to patients and their families.
The proposals give advice on creating an open and honest workplace, calling on employers and clinical leaders to support doctors, nurses and midwives in achieving this.
Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State, has said “Transparency and honesty when things go wrong are powerful tools to improve patient safety, and part of the continued culture change we are determined to see in the NHS. These new guidelines will complement the statutory duty of candour on organisations and help make the NHS safer than ever before.”
Niall Dickson, Chief Executive of the GMC, said “Patients deserve a clear and honest explanation if something has gone wrong with their care.
“This is why, for the first time, we are collaborating on this new joint guidance. It will ensure that doctors, nurses and midwives are working to a common standard and will know exactly what their responsibilities are. But it will only be of any use if it makes sense in day-to-day practice and that is why we are now going to consult with patients and with doctors, nurses and midwives who deal with these issues on the clinical front line. We want to know if it is clear enough, covers everything it should and we would welcome ideas on how best to illustrate the guidance working in practice.
“We also want to send out a very clear message to employers and clinical leaders – none of this will work without an open and honest learning culture and we know from the Mid Staffordshire enquiry and from our own work with healthcare professionals that too often such a culture does not prevail. It remains one of the biggest challenges facing our healthcare system and a major impediment towards safe effective care.”
Jackie Smith, the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s chief executive, said “Healthcare professionals have a responsibility to be open and honest in the best interests of the people they care for. And we as regulators are responsible for protecting the public who use their services.
“The duty of candour will enhance public protection as it will nurture an open and constructive learning environment. This in turn will support healthcare professionals who wish to raise concerns.
“This guidance will help nurses, midwives and doctors – who work closely together – to uphold a common duty of candour and meet the responsibilities articulated in their professional standards.”
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), Medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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