Duty of Candour questions can feel intimidating – mainly because candidates often overthink the incident itself. Many try to recall a complex clinical mistake or a scenario filled with moving parts, when in reality, the best examples are simple, human, and easy for the panel to understand within seconds.
In this podcast, we unpack a powerful case discussed by Tessa and Becky. It involves a neonatal baby receiving another mother’s expressed breast milk – an incident that is clinically and emotionally significant, but also straightforward enough to explain concisely.
This makes it an ideal consultant interview example: it shows your emotional intelligence, your communication skills, your professionalism, and your understanding of the full Duty of Candour process – without requiring a long, complicated backstory.
Check Out the Full Episode:
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/episode/5RNq51qY2ZLfecKnlFKWvA?si=dpiRGm13QNuKiTRs-YYIIA
Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-hidden-truth-about-why-presentations-trip-up/id1833792151?i=1000724335496
YouTube – https://youtu.be/SHNuPQVOgXA?si=fxYVryOuw3t_YuND
Duty of Candour Process
Becky:
The example of duty of candour here is that I was asked to perform duty of candour for a family when the incorrect breast milk had been given to a baby in the neonatal unit. There were various bottles of breast milk in the fridge, and some milk was given to a baby and it turned out that it wasn’t from their mum – it was from a different mum.
Okay, Tessa, what do you think about this as a duty of candour?
Tessa:
When we talked last week about a mistake, we were saying that you didn’t want it to be something terrible. But the duty of candour is different. Ideally, it won’t be your mistake, because you want an example where something happened and you were the person who was there when the mistake came to light.
And given that it wasn’t your mistake, it’s fine if it was serious – in fact, it can be better. Telling someone their baby has been given the wrong breast milk is a big deal. Telling someone you mislabeled a blood sample is still candour, but it doesn’t show the same level of skill in breaking difficult news.
This is a really nice example – simple to explain, quick to understand.
What do you think?
Becky:
I like it a lot. And as you say, we don’t want people spending ages describing the incident because what matters is what they did. So in this example, you want to focus on your understanding of the duty of candour – the steps you took and particularly the apology you delivered to the family.
Part of your reflection should be about what you learned families need to hear when we apologise for causing harm.
You should also walk the panel through the whole duty of candour process:
– apologising to the family
– explaining what happened
– outlining that there would be an investigation
– DATIX, escalation, and the investigation
– generating departmental learning
– feeding that into organisational learning
– and importantly, feeding that learning back to the family
That final step closes the loop.
And the beauty of this example is that it’s instantly understandable without needing a long explanation.
Tessa:
And if it was your mistake, you wouldn’t be able to explain it in a couple of sentences. You’d feel the need to justify it – it was busy, things were next to each other in the fridge, someone told you it was fine, it was Friday night – and that’s human.
But when it’s not your mistake, you don’t need to explain that. You just say the error came to light on your shift, and it was your job to do duty of candour.
One thing people often leave out is how they felt and how the family responded. People go straight into the steps: I apologised, I told them, I rectified it, here’s the PALS leaflet.
But you can say things like:
“I knew this family well and had a relationship with them. I was apprehensive because it was a big deal, but I knew I could deliver the news sensitively.”
Or:
“I was stressed because the family had previous concerns about their care and I knew this would add fuel to the fire. But I’d done this before and I knew how to handle it.”
These small additions help the panel understand who you are as a person – not just someone who knows the steps, but someone who will be a human colleague on their team.
And it also matters how the family reacted. Did they say it was outrageous? Did they threaten to leave? Or did they appreciate being told and want to know how it would be rectified?
These parts help show how you communicate with families, not just how you follow a process.
Becky:
Exactly. The bottom line is we want to show the panel that you are the person they want on their team – someone who consistently delivers high-quality care and is a great colleague.
You need to show warmth, compassion, and understanding of the system.
Tessa:
And this duty of candour example is a great way to bring both of those things together. It’s harder to do in other questions, but this one lets you show humanity and professionalism at the same time.
Key Takeaways
1. Use an example that wasn’t your mistake
It frees you from defensiveness and lets you focus fully on candour, communication, and patient experience.
2. Choose a simple, high-impact incident
The breast-milk example works because it’s:
- easy to understand in seconds
- clinically significant
- emotionally charged
- uncomplicated to explain
Panels appreciate clarity.
3. Show that you understand the entire duty of candour process
A strong answer includes:
- immediate apology
- clear explanation
- investigation plan
- escalation and DATIX
- departmental learning
- organisational learning
- feeding that learning back to the family
Most candidates forget the last step.
4. Include emotions – yours and the family’s
Describe:
- how you felt going into the conversation
- why you felt that way
- how the family reacted
- how you managed the situation sensitively
This makes you memorable and human.
5. Demonstrate warmth, humanity, and teamwork
Panels want to picture you as someone they’d trust on their team – someone compassionate, reflective, and safe.
