Duty of Candour Annual Report
Balfron Eyecare Limited
In 2014, the General Optical Council (GOC) signed up to a joint statement with other healthcare regulators which outlined the expectations of professional duty of candour from registered Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians.
Duty of Candour Annual Reporting
To fulfil our duty of candour responsibilities, this report describes the unintended or unexpected incidents that occurred within optometry practice during the last year.
Duty of Candour Responsibilities and Process.
The Balfron Eyecare policy is that we are open, honest, and transparent about all aspects of patient care. We aim to provide high quality, patient centred eye care.
If we become aware of a situation in which an unintended or unexpected incident occurred in the provision of a patient’s eyecare or things went wrong with a patient’s eyecare, we may have a duty to inform the patient and apologise, regardless of whether a complaint or feedback has been received. This does not necessarily mean that we admit wrong doing.
Any such incidents of this nature should be first discussed with the clinician responsible at the time. After this, NHS Forth Valley should be consulted before contact with the patient.
Wherever there are learnings to be had from a situation, this should be communicated across all staff. Our policy is to constantly strive to improve our patient experience via openness and honesty.
The Balfron Eyecare policy is in line with the statutory Organisational Duty of Candour in the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care)(Scotland) Act 2016 (the “statutory duty of candour”) and the General Optical Council’s Professional Duty of Candour in Article 2.1.2 of the Standards for Optical Businesses (the “professional duty of candour”).
Type of Unexpected or Unintended incident / Number of Times this Happened
Someone has died - 0
Someone has permanently less bodily, sensory, motor, physiologic or intellectual functions - 0
Someone’s treatment has increased because of harm - 0
The structure of someone’s body changes because of harm - 0
Someone’s life expectancy becomes shorter because of harm - 0
Someone’s sensory, motor or intellectual functions is impaired for >28 days - 0
Someone experience pain or psychological harm for >28 days - 0
A person needed health treatment in order to prevent them dying - 0
A person needing health treatment in order to prevent other injuries - 0