The new “duty of candour” consultation will form part of the government’s plans to modernise the NHS by making it more accountable and transparent and giving patients and local clinicians more power to hold the NHS to account. This was also signalled in the government’s response to the independent Future Forum in June 2011.

The duty of candour in healthcare will be a contractual duty on providers to be open and honest with patients or their families when things go wrong ensuring they receive information about any investigations and encouraging the NHS to learn lessons.