Quality improvement module 2: Clinical audit in mental health practice

Clinical audit is a simple and effective mechanism for assuring ourselves about quality of care. It has been practised since the middle of the 19th century and has been enshrined in the professional regulations of Royal Colleges and the General Medical Council.

As well as ensuring compliance with minimum standards, clinical audit:

• is about assessing care against a gold standard to identify opportunities for improvement
• is a key way for professionals to appraise and improve their own clinical practice
• is a team-building activity
• aids attainment of high standards in clinical care.

This module enables practitioners to understand the basics of clinical audit and why they should use it. By the end of the module we hope that you will be able to prepare for and implement a clinical audit within your own practice.