All Health and Social Care services in Scotland have a Duty of Candour. This is a legal requirement which means that when unintended or unexpected events happen that result in death or harm as defined in the Act, the people affected understand what has happened, receive an apology, and that organisations learn how to improve for the future. An important part of this duty is that we provide an annual report about how the duty of candour is implemented in our services.  

This short report describes how Aboyne Medical Practice has operated the duty of candour during the time between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024.  

About Aboyne Medical Practice   

Aboyne Medical Practice serves a population of 6600 people in Deeside, Aberdeenshire. We cover a relatively large geographical area, including small towns and villages as well a wide rural catchment.  

How many incidents happened to which the duty of candour applies? 

Between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024, there were no incidents where the duty of candour applied. These are unintended or unexpected incidents that result in death or harm as defined in the Act, and do not relate directory to the natural course of someone’s illness or underlying condition.  

We have an adverse event management process which would enable us to identify any such incidents. These events include a wider range of outcomes than those defined in the duty of candour legislation as we also include adverse events that did not result in significant harm but had the potential to cause significant harm. We identify through the significant adverse event review process if there were factors that may have caused or contributed to the event, which helps to identify duty of candour incidents.   Through our adverse event management process we can identify incidents that trigger the duty of candour procedure. Each adverse event is reviewed to understand what happened and how we might improve the care we provide in the future. The level of review depends on the severity of the event as well as the potential for learning.   

All staff receive training on adverse event management and implementation of the duty of candour as part of their induction, so that they understand when it applies and how to trigger the duty and thereafter annually.   In our role as a GP training practice, we support our registrars in identifying and reviewing any adverse events and in understanding the application of Duty of Candour.  

If you require any further information please contact the Practice Manager at  gram.aboyneadministrator@nhs.scot