Duty of Candour Policy

Effective Date: April 30, 2025

At EK Dental and Esthetics (operated and controlled by Aevum Inventix), we are committed to delivering safe, effective, and compassionate care. Our Duty of Candour policy ensures we are open and honest with you if something goes wrong with your care or treatment.

1. What Is the Duty of Candour?

The Duty of Candour is a statutory requirement under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 (Regulation 20). It requires healthcare providers to be transparent, admit mistakes, offer sincere apologies, and explain the actions taken when a patient suffers harm as a result of the care provided.

2. When Does It Apply?

We will follow the Duty of Candour if you experience any unintended or unexpected harm during treatment that meets one of the following categories:

Severe Harm or Death: An incident that leads to permanent harm, life-changing injury, or death.
Moderate Harm: An incident requiring significant additional treatment or time in care.
Low Harm: An incident requiring minimal extra treatment or short-term harm.

We may also apply principles of candour to lower-level events to maintain trust and transparency.

3. Our Commitment to You

When the Duty of Candour is triggered, EK Dental and Esthetics will:

Tell You What Happened: We will inform you—or, where appropriate, your lawful representative—of the facts known as soon as reasonably possible.
Sincere Apology: We will offer a genuine, unreserved apology for the incident and any distress caused.
Investigate Thoroughly: We will conduct a prompt, unbiased investigation to understand the root cause.
Explain the Outcome: We will share the results of the investigation, including any steps taken to prevent recurrence.
Support You: We will provide appropriate support, including clinical, emotional, and practical assistance.

Document and Report: We will record the incident, our communications, and actions in your patient record and our internal reporting systems, and notify the Care Quality Commission as required.

4. Process and Timescales

Step	Action	Timescale
Notification	Initial verbal or in-person communication of incident and apology	Within 10 working days
Written Confirmation	Follow-up with a formal letter or email summarizing the incident, apology, and next steps	Within 10 working days
Investigation & Outcome	Completion of investigation, root-cause analysis, and action plan	Within 30 working days
Final Report	Deliver final report to you and register findings with CQC if required	Within 35 working days

Note: We will keep you informed of any unavoidable delays.

5. How to Contact Us

If you have concerns about your care or would like to discuss an incident:

Email: ekdentalandaesthetics@gmail.com
Phone: +44 7917 034046‬
Postal Address: Office 5, 393-395 Lincoln Road Peterborough, PE1 2PF

Alternatively, you can speak with our Clinic Manager directly during your visit.

6. External Reporting & Appeals

If you remain dissatisfied following our response, you may contact:

Care Quality Commission (CQC): https://www.cqc.org.uk
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk

EK Dental and Esthetics is dedicated to learning from every incident to continuously improve our services and ensure your safety and trust in our care.

Last updated: April 30, 2025