The duty of candour regulations make it a statutory requirement for health service bodies to act in an open and transparent way with relevant persons in relation to care and treatment provided to service users in carrying out a regulated activity. This briefing outlines the regulations and highlights key issues that NHS Providers is concerned about in terms of how they will be implemented.

The purpose of this briefing for members is:

• to set out the regulations and what boards of directors need to do to comply with them;
• to set out the new requirements and the Care Quality Commission’s approach in respect of the duty of candour; and
• to highlight significant issues for consideration and invite feedback on areas of concern for NHS Providers to address as part of its influencing work.