To ask the Minister of Health on what date he will make a final decision on how to move forward with the Duty of Candour.

Following the completion of a public consultation in 2021, the Duty of Candour Workstream provided its assessment to me in February 2022. In response, the Department is continuing to develop the policy for a "Being Open Framework" for our health and social care system.

Initial work on the “Being Open Framework” is focusing on the development of a pilot exercise in a Trust.

The pilot exercise will initially focus on a diagnostic exercise to establish an understanding of the:

perceptions of openness;

barriers to openness;

levers of power in relation to openness;

enablers of openness.

Interviews will be undertaken over the coming months to establish baseline data, providing evidence upon which to build a strategic plan for engagement. The initial interviews will be held with the Trust Senior Management Team, Board and senior clinical leaders; senior clinicians; legal advisers and professional representative bodies.

My officials are also carrying out further study on how a duty of candour might work in practice, including additional analysis of the impact of such a duty on the health and care service, both legally, and in workforce terms.

I should also point out my view that the introduction of any statutory duty of candour would be of such significance as to require referral to the Executive under the Ministerial Code. This will require the Assembly and Executive to be restored.