NHS INTERVIEW GUIDE

Duty of Candour Interview Questions: What to Say and How to Answer

What the professional and statutory duty of candour mean, how the rules differ across the UK nations, how to answer candour questions at interview, 12 practice questions and a worked STAR answer.

Last updated 24 October 2026 · Created by a practising NHS doctor · Independent of the NHS

Quick answer

How do I answer a duty of candour question in an NHS interview?

Define the duty of candour as being open and honest when care goes wrong. Explain the professional duty on individual registrants and the statutory duty on organisations, noting that statutory rules differ by UK nation. Then list the steps: make the patient safe, escalate, tell the patient and apologise, report, document and reflect. Support it with a short, real STAR example.

Key takeaways

Separate the professional duty from the statutory duty.
Statutory rules differ by UK nation, so check current guidance.
Safety first, then honesty, apology, reporting and documentation.
An apology is not an admission of liability.
Use a real, manageable example and show what you learned.

The duty of candour means being open and honest with patients and their families when something goes wrong with their care that causes, or could cause, harm. In an interview, explain that every registered professional has a professional duty to tell the person, apologise, explain what happened and what will be done, and report it, while organisations also have a legal (statutory) duty in most of the UK. Then give a short example showing you would act on it.

Duty of candour questions come up for nurses, midwives, doctors, allied health professionals, pharmacists, managers and increasingly for support roles too. This guide explains the professional and statutory duties at principle level, how the rules differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, how to answer, likely questions, a worked STAR example, what panels look for and common mistakes. For a broader look at talking about your own errors, see our separate guide on mistake questions.

In this guide

What is the duty of candour?
What is the difference between the professional and statutory duty of candour?
Does the duty of candour differ across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
How do I answer "What is the duty of candour?" in an interview?
What would you do if you made a mistake that affected a patient?
Is saying sorry an admission of liability?
What are common duty of candour interview questions?
What is a good STAR answer to a duty of candour question?
What do panels look for in duty of candour answers?
What are common mistakes in duty of candour answers?
How should I prepare for duty of candour questions?

What is the duty of candour?

The duty of candour is the obligation to be open and honest when care goes wrong. It exists at two levels: a professional duty on individual registered staff, and a statutory duty on care organisations, set out in law in most UK nations.

Both aim to make sure patients and families never have to fight to find out what happened, and that incidents are reported so others can learn.

What is the difference between the professional and statutory duty of candour?

The professional duty applies to you as an individual registrant and comes from your regulator. The statutory duty applies to the organisation you work for and comes from law, with specific steps and records required.

Professional duty: the GMC and NMC publish joint guidance on openness and honesty when things go wrong, and other regulators such as the HCPC, GPhC and GDC set similar expectations in their standards. You should tell the person when something has gone wrong, apologise, offer an appropriate remedy or support, and explain the likely short and long term effects.
Being open with colleagues: the professional duty also covers reporting incidents and near misses promptly, being honest with your employer and in investigations, and supporting a culture where others can do the same.
Statutory duty: places legal requirements on organisations, such as notifying the person, apologising, offering support, following up in writing and keeping records, when an incident meets the defined level of harm.
Who it applies to: the statutory duty is organisational, but individual staff carry it out, so you need to know your local policy and who leads candour conversations.

Does the duty of candour differ across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

Yes. The professional duty is the same across the UK because regulators are UK-wide, but the statutory organisational duty differs by nation. Describe it in general terms at interview and check current official guidance, as legislation in this area can change.

England: the statutory duty is in the regulations that govern providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and the CQC can take enforcement action for breaches.
Scotland: an organisational duty of candour procedure has applied to health, care and social work services since 2018, including notifying people, apologising, offering a meeting, reviewing incidents and publishing annual reports.
Wales: an organisational duty of candour for NHS bodies came into force in April 2023, supported by statutory guidance.
Northern Ireland: plans for a statutory duty have been developed and consulted on, but check the current position with the Department of Health before your interview. Being open guidance and professional duties still apply.
Your answer: name the nation you are applying in, show you know the principle, and say you would follow your employer's candour policy.

How do I answer "What is the duty of candour?" in an interview?

Give a one-sentence definition, separate the professional and statutory duties, list the practical steps, and finish by explaining why it matters. Around 90 seconds is enough for a direct knowledge question.

Step 1, define it: "Being open and honest with patients and families when something goes wrong with their care."
Step 2, two levels: mention the professional duty on you and the statutory duty on the organisation.
Step 3, the steps: make the patient safe, tell them promptly, apologise sincerely, explain what happened and what will happen next, report it and document it.
Step 4, the purpose: trust, patient rights and learning to prevent the same thing happening again.
Step 5, your role: say you would involve the nurse in charge, consultant or manager and follow local policy.

What would you do if you made a mistake that affected a patient?

Make the patient safe first, then escalate, be honest with the patient and family, report and document, and reflect. Panels want to see that you would neither hide the mistake nor panic.

1. Make safe: check the patient, take immediate action and get help if needed.
2. Escalate: tell the nurse in charge, your supervisor or the responsible clinician straight away.
3. Be open: explain to the patient, and family where appropriate, what has happened in plain language, and apologise. Agree locally who leads the conversation.
4. Report: complete an incident report using your organisation's system.
5. Document: record facts accurately in the notes, including what the patient was told.
6. Support and follow up: keep the patient informed and support any review.
7. Reflect: discuss it in supervision and use it for learning, and revalidation if you are registered.

Is saying sorry an admission of liability?

No. Professional guidance is clear that apologising is the right thing to do and is not the same as admitting legal liability. Law in parts of the UK also states that an apology is not in itself an admission of liability.

At interview, it shows maturity to say that a sincere apology, "I am sorry this has happened", is part of good care, and that worry about blame should never stop you being honest.

What are common duty of candour interview questions?

Candour questions may be direct knowledge questions, scenarios or "tell me about a time" questions. These are typical practice themes, not real questions from any interview.

What is the duty of candour? Define it and separate the two levels.
What is the difference between the professional and statutory duty? Individual versus organisational.
Tell me about a time you made a mistake. What did you do? Show honesty, escalation and learning.
What would you do if you gave the wrong dose of a medicine? Safety, escalation, openness, reporting.
A colleague asks you not to report an error. What would you do? Stay respectful but report it.
How would you speak to a family after something went wrong? Privacy, plain language, apology, next steps.
Is an apology an admission of liability? No, and explain why it still matters.
Why is reporting near misses important? Learning before harm happens.
How does the duty of candour link to patient safety culture? Openness, learning, no blame for honest errors.
What does openness mean to you as a manager? Supporting staff, leading candour conversations, sharing learning.
How does candour apply in your nation? Show awareness that statutory rules differ.
How would you support a colleague involved in an incident? Wellbeing, debrief and learning.

What is a good STAR answer to a duty of candour question?

A good answer uses a real, low to moderate impact example where you acted openly and promptly. This example suits a Band 5 nurse, and the structure works for other registered roles.

Example answer: a delayed medicine dose (Band 5 nurse)

Situation: On a busy medical ward, I realised at the end of a drug round that I had missed a patient's time-sensitive medicine because I had been called away to an emergency.

Task: I needed to make sure the patient was safe and be honest with her and the team about the delay.

Action: I checked the patient straight away and told the nurse in charge, who asked me to contact the doctor. The doctor advised giving the dose and increased monitoring. I explained to the patient in plain language that her medicine was late, apologised, told her what we were doing and invited her questions. I completed an incident report, documented the facts and the conversation in her notes, and handed over the monitoring plan.

Result: The patient had no lasting effect and thanked me for being straightforward. The incident review led the ward to introduce a simple handover flag for time-critical medicines if a nurse is called away mid-round. I reflected on it with my practice educator and used it for revalidation. I learned that being honest quickly protects patients and trust, and that reporting is how systems improve.

What do panels look for in duty of candour answers?

Panels look for honesty, patient safety first, and a clear understanding of process. Strong candidates show they would be open without being defensive.

Patient safety first: making the person safe before anything else.
Prompt honesty: telling the patient and team without delay.
A sincere apology: without blaming others or the system.
Knowledge of both duties: professional and statutory, at principle level.
Correct process: escalation, incident reporting and documentation.
Awareness of nation and local policy: knowing rules differ and policy guides the detail.
Learning culture: reflection and supporting improvement.

What are common mistakes in duty of candour answers?

The biggest mistake is suggesting you would wait, hide or minimise an error. Others include muddling the two duties or overstating legal detail.

Delaying honesty: "I would wait until I knew all the facts" can sound evasive. Share what you know and update later.
Treating apology as admitting liability: it is not.
Confusing the duties: keep professional and statutory separate.
Quoting wrong law or numbers: stay at principle level and refer to local policy.
Choosing a serious or unresolved incident: pick an example you can discuss comfortably and safely.
Breaching confidentiality: no names or identifying details.

How should I prepare for duty of candour questions?

Read your regulator's candour guidance, check the statutory position in your nation, and prepare one or two honest examples. Then practise aloud and get feedback.

Free sources include your regulator's website, your employer's being open or candour policy, your practice educator or line manager, and unions and professional bodies such as the RCN, Unison and the BMA. Healthcare Interview Prep is one self-study option, with 40 original practice questions and written model answers for each of 471 NHS roles. It is independent, not affiliated with the NHS, and does not offer live coaching or mock interviews.

Step 1: Read the GMC and NMC joint candour guidance or your own regulator's equivalent.
Step 2: Check the current statutory duty for the nation you are applying in.
Step 3: Write one STAR example of being open after an error or near miss.
Step 4: Practise the seven-step scenario answer aloud.
Step 5: Ask a mentor or colleague to test you with follow-up questions.

Frequently asked questions

Does the duty of candour apply to healthcare assistants?

Healthcare assistants are not covered by a regulator's professional duty because they are not registered, but the statutory duty applies to their employer, and every member of staff is expected to be honest and report incidents. At interview, say you would make the patient safe, tell the nurse in charge straight away, report the incident and be open, following local policy.

Who should tell the patient when something goes wrong?

Usually the clinician responsible for the patient's care, or another senior and appropriately trained person, leads the formal candour conversation. However, if you are involved, you should still be honest and not hide what happened. Follow your organisation's policy, agree who will speak to the patient, and make sure the conversation and any apology are recorded in the notes.

Does the duty of candour apply to near misses?

The statutory duty is triggered by incidents that meet a defined level of harm, so near misses usually do not require formal notification under it. The professional duty, however, expects you to report near misses through your organisation's system so others can learn. Some organisations also choose to tell patients about near misses. Check local policy and your regulator's guidance.

Is there a statutory duty of candour in Northern Ireland?

Proposals for a statutory duty of candour in Northern Ireland have been developed and consulted on, but you should check the current position with the Department of Health before your interview, as it may have changed. The professional duty of candour still applies to all registered professionals across the UK, and health and social care organisations have their own being open policies.

How do I answer a duty of candour question if I have never made a mistake?

Everyone has made small errors or near misses, so think of an example from work, placement or study, such as a documentation slip or a delayed task. If you truly cannot, answer as a scenario: explain the steps you would follow, why openness matters and how you would support learning. Never invent an incident, but do show you understand the process.

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