Duty of Candour Policy
Aesthetics & Skin by Sharon Somerville has a duty to be open and honest with patients when something goes wrong with their treatment or care.
In order to minimise the risk of something going wrong I will fully discuss the proposed treatment, explain the risks and provide information as to whether the risk occurs often or if there is a very low risk of complication. I will also discuss any alternative treatments and the risks of this will also be explained.
In the event that something goes wrong with a patient treated at my clinic I will:
Tell the patient something has gone wrong and discuss what has happened; this will be discussed as soon as possible after it is clear something has gone wrong and all information regarding what has happened and why and what the expected consequences are will be discussed.
Apologise to the patient that something has gone wrong: when apologising to the patient the owner will give the patient the information they want or need in a way that they understand; the information will be given sensitively and in private. In addition to any apology provided at the time of an incident, the responsible person will offer the person a written apology in respect of the incident.
Explain and discuss the long and short term effects of what has happened. Where possible offer a solution to rectify the problem; if it is not possible for the practitioner to provide a solution the patient will be referred to a fellow professional for consultation and support for both the patient and practitioner
If an incident occurs as a result of an adverse drug reaction or a medical device, this will be reported to the MHRA using the yellow card system. The date, time and nature of the incident will be documented in the patient’s notes.
There will be no smoking in or near the establishment as per most recent legislation: Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016
References:
The Duty of Candour Procedure (Scotland) Regulations 2018
www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2018/57/made/data.pdf
Scottish Patient Safety Programme;
http://www.scottishpatientsafetyprogramme.scot.nhs.uk/
Nursing and Midwifery Council(2015) The code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses and midwives available at https://www.nmc.org.uk (sections 4.2,14, 23)
Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 (legislation.gov.uk)
www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2016/14/part/2/enacted
Yellow Card – Making Medicines safer (MHRA)
www.yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/the-yellow-card-scheme/