Our Duty of Candour

This policy is part of our governance and compliance framework, which ensures every aspect of our care meets the highest standards.

What Duty of Candour Means for Your Family

Under CQC Regulation 20, every registered care provider in England must follow the statutory duty of candour. This means that when an unintended or unexpected incident causes harm, we are legally required to be transparent with you. We do not wait for you to ask. We come to you.

At SW Care, we go beyond the legal minimum. Openness is part of how we work every day. Our carers and office team are encouraged to report concerns without fear. Stacey Cole, our Registered Manager, oversees every incident personally to make sure the right steps are taken.

When the Duty of Candour Applies

A notifiable safety incident triggers our formal duty of candour process. For an incident to qualify, it must meet all three of the following criteria:

• Unintended or unexpected — The incident was not part of the planned care.
• Occurred during regulated activity — It happened while we were delivering care.
• Resulted in harm — The person experienced moderate harm, severe harm, prolonged pain, prolonged psychological harm, or death.

Moderate harm means the person needed additional treatment beyond what was already planned. Severe harm means a permanent loss of bodily function. Prolonged pain or psychological harm means symptoms lasting 28 days or more.

How We Respond When Something Goes Wrong

Our response follows a clear, documented process. Every step is recorded and reviewed by our Registered Manager.

• Immediate notification — We contact you or your representative in person as soon as reasonably possible. We explain what happened and offer a sincere apology.
• Written follow-up — You receive a written account of the incident. This includes the facts as we understand them, the apology, and what we plan to do next.
• Full investigation — We carry out a thorough internal investigation to understand what went wrong and why.
• Final statement — Once the investigation is complete, we share our findings with you. This includes what lessons we have learned and the changes we have made to prevent it happening again.

A Culture of Openness at SW Care

Being candid only works if staff feel safe to speak up. At SW Care, our carers and support workers know they will never be stopped from reporting a concern or an incident. We actively encourage open communication at every level of the organisation.

Every member of the team receives training on the duty of candour as part of their induction. This is reinforced through regular refresher sessions. Gurpreet Saggu, our Nominated Individual, ensures that a culture of transparency runs through everything we do.

Professional Duty of Candour

Beyond the statutory requirements, there is also a professional duty of candour. This applies to individually registered professionals such as nurses and social workers. While our carers are not individually registered, we hold everyone to the same standard of honesty and accountability.

All of our policies are managed through QCS (Quality Compliance Systems) and reviewed regularly to reflect the latest CQC guidance. If you have questions about our duty of candour or want to know more about how we handle incidents, please get in touch.

Read about all of our governance policies or view our CQC rating.