Our Commitment to Accountability
Placing patient interests first
Prioritising patient and public interests above organisational reputation, ensuring trust and safety remain more important than anything else at all times.
Complying with our legal Duty of Candour
Acting openly, honestly, and transparently in all interactions, ensuring patients, families, and staff are informed and supported when things go wrong. This includes acknowledging when harm has occurred, taking steps to correct it, where possible and ensuring that the right information is communicated, and offering support to those affected.
Complying with our Professional Duty of Candour
The duty requires regulated healthcare professionals to be open and honest with patients when things go wrong, the duty is triggered in the following situations:
o Incidents where harm has occurred or could have occurred
o Near misses with the potential to cause harm
o Known or consented complications that result in poor outcomes
o Unintended or unexpected events during care delivery
NUH extends the principles of the Professional Duty of Candour to all staff, not just regulated *healthcare professionals (*see appendix 3).
Acting ethically and with integrity
Upholding ethical standards and demonstrating integrity in every decision, action, and behaviour.
Apologising and restoring trust
Apologising sincerely when we fall short and taking meaningful steps to make amends, prioritising the repair of relationships and trust.
Welcoming ideas and challenges
Encouraging ideas, constructive challenges, and collaborative problem-solving to improve and innovate continuously.
Recognising systemic factors
Acknowledging and addressing systemic contributions to errors, ensuring accountability extends to organisational processes and leadership.
Using resources wisely and responsibly
Managing resources effectively and sustainably, with accountability for the impact of decisions on care quality and safety.
Engaging patients and the public
Actively involving patients, families, and the wider public in shaping services and co-designing improvements to enhance trust and shared accountability.
Upholding a Just and Learning Culture
Embedding the principles of fairness, openness and learning in all our interactions, in line with the NHS Just and Restorative (Learning) Culture Charter, linked to PSIRF and The Being Fair Tool. We commit to responding to concerns with compassion and proportionality, seeking resolution and restoration over blame, and ensuring that staff feel safe and valued when raising concerns or learning from mistakes. Compassion in healthcare means providing care through relationships built on empathy, respect, and dignity it involves recognising distress and taking action to alleviate it where possible.
Measuring and communicating impact
Tracking improvements and regularly communicating outcomes to staff, patients, and the public, demonstrating transparency and a commitment to continuous improvement. This approach ensures that setbacks are met with resilience and a focus on building trust with our patients, staff, and the wider community.
Whilst we aspire to consistently uphold our commitments and demonstrate the highest standards of behaviour and care, we recognise that, despite our best efforts, things can sometimes go wrong. In such instances, it is vital that we respond with transparency, integrity, and a commitment to learning. By addressing challenges openly and constructively, we not only honour our values but also create opportunities for improvement, fostering a culture which combines accountability and learning.