Complete Care Training
Standard 3: Duty of Care
Legal, Data & GovernanceLevel 1

Standard 3: Duty of Care

You cannot be at every visit, and you will not get every one right. What you can do is spot when something has gone wrong, say so plainly, and know who to ring. That is what duty of care and duty of candour ask of you, and it is what a CQC inspector will ask you about. This course follows one week on a Harewood Homecare round: a missed evening dose, a man who wants to keep walking to work when his legs are unreliable, a frightened husband raising his fist, and a wife who wants to complain. By the end you will be able to say what your duty of care covers, be honest when a mistake is made without fearing for your job, recognise a confrontation before it peaks and step back safely, and respond to a complaint so the person feels heard rather than brushed off. It also tells you exactly who to go to when a person's right to choose and your duty to keep them safe pull in different directions.

1 hour 14 minutes
Created by Sophie Barber Updated 10/2026 English
Part of Care Certificate (16 Standards) · Course 3 of 5

Available only in Care Certificate (16 Standards)

This course isn't sold on its own. You get it, with every other course in the pathway, when you enrol on the pathway.

£35.00, was £40.005 courses
See the pathway

What you'll learn

Describe what duty of care and duty of candour mean and how they affect your own role.
Identify the support available when a dilemma arises between a person's rights and your duty of care.
State how to respond to a comment or complaint and how to report an incident, error or near miss.
Recognise the signs of confrontation and the agreed ways of working for managing a difficult situation.

Course content

5 modules

What duty of care and duty of candour mean, where they come from in law, and what they ask of you on an ordinary visit: say when you cannot work safely, and be honest when something goes wrong.
Why a person's right to choose can clash with your duty to keep them safe, what you must and must not do when it does, and where to get support: care plan, manager, health staff and advocates.
What turns a situation confrontational, the early signs to watch for, how calm communication and a safe distance reduce risk, when to withdraw and get help, and how to report it afterwards.
How to respond when someone comments or complains, what counts as an incident, error or near miss, what you must and must not do, and the law and agreed ways of working for reporting them.
Ten questions drawn from the whole course. You need 70% to pass and have up to three attempts.

Specialist

Sophie Barber

A qualified teacher, examiner and content creator, Sophie has over 10 years experience developing resources for examination boards to ensure that they are using effective learning tools. An ex-medic, Sophie has a huge passion for the healthcare profession and the importance of delivering quality care.

Training you can trust

How this course works. You will work through self-paced modules, check your understanding with knowledge checks, and finish with a short assessment. On passing, your CPD-certified certificate is available to download immediately, ready for your CQC evidence file or employer records.

This certificate does not expire.

Accredited by CPD

All of our courses are accredited by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to universally accepted Continuing Professional Development (CPD) guidelines.

Frequently asked questions

There is no deadline: a one-off purchase gives you lifetime access to the course, including updates, so you can complete it at your own pace across shifts.
Yes. Every course is accredited by the CPD Certification Service, and the certificate states the course, the level and the date you passed.
Yes. It works on phone, tablet and computer, and your progress syncs between them.
Your certificate is generated the moment you pass the final assessment, ready to download or print.