Certificate in Clinical Audit for Health and Social Care
This course is accredited by the Royal College of Nursing
On-line Learning / CPD hours: 18 hours
15 February – 26 March 2010
A multi-professional Clinical Audit course
Online Training
This course provides a practical approach to clinical audit design and data collection.
It teaches the underlying principles of effective audit planning, the appropriate use of several methods of data collection and the presentation of findings.
Over two hundred students have been trained in clinical audit by RPD, they include audit and governance facilitators, nurses, doctors, social workers, midwives, occupational and physiotherapists, podiatrists and practice development managers.
THE AIM:
To enable you to plan a clinical audit of your own design.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of the course you will be able to:
- Identify the benefits of audit activity for organisations, clients/patients and staff
- Differentiate between clinical audit, research and other methods of enquiry
- Identify topics suitable for audit
- Understand the structure of effective audit standards and criteria
- Plan a sample for data collection
- Select appropriate methods of data collection
- Present audit findings effectively
- Recognise the importance of involving service users in the audit process
- Write a clinical audit proposal
WHO WILL BENEFIT:
- Anyone new to clinical audit
- Experienced clinical audit staff who wish to expand their knowledge of qualitative data collection methods
- Professionals who have responsibility for clinical audit within their team
TEACHING METHODS: 
E-learning which includes individual and small group practical exercises, private reading and contact with the course tutor. The timetable is flexible enabling students to organise their own pattern of study.
Our virtual learning environment is called Moodle which is used by universities and colleges world wide, including the Open University. It’s user friendly and allows students access to the course 24/7 from any computer.
The course is delivered in three units spanning a six-week period. Each unit is a combination of reading, practical exercises and discussion with other students and the tutor. Students get to know each other and share ideas and experiences.
The course runs to a timetable, but with sufficient flexibility to accommodate each student’s individual pattern of study. Study time is approximately 18 hours.
ASSESSMENT
Students are required to prepare an audit proposal to be submitted by 8 May.
COST £500 Dates: 15 February – 26 March 2010.
ACCREDITATION
Royal College of Nursing Accreditation Unit. Event ref 4520
For full details please contact us.
In-house clinical audit and governance training
RPD staff provide talks, workshops and courses designed to meet the needs of the host organisation. In addition, one and two-day programmes of training are offered. For example:
Getting Started with Clinical Audit
One-day workshop. For groups of 8 - 16 staff. In-house only.
THE AIM:
To introduce participants to the process of clinical audit and its impact on patient care.
The programme includes:
- The role of audit within clinical governance
- Differences and similarities between audit, research and surveys

- Selecting topics suitable for audit
- The audit cycle
- Different types of audit and their application
- Planning an audit project, resources and skills required
- Setting standards and criteria for different types of audit
- Selecting suitable methods of data collection
- Ethical guidelines for audit activity
- Effective presentation of audit findings
WHO WILL BENEFIT:
Clinicians and other health care staff who need to understand the role of audit and what it can achieve.
For full details please contact us.

