Guide · checked October 2026
How to write a clinical audit report
Write a clinical audit report around HQIP's template: summary, background, SMART aim and objectives, standards, sample, data source and method, findings against each standard, numbered recommendations, a SMART action plan, evidence of improvement and learning points.
HQIP's report sections
- Executive summary
- Background
- Aim and objectives (SMART)
- Standards, guidelines and evidence base
- Sample and data source
- Methodology, with any caveats
- Findings
- Recommendations and action plan
- Evidence of improvement and learning points
- References
This is the template in Appendix 1 of HQIP's Documenting local clinical audit (2020), which first appeared as a report template in 2009.
Rules worth following
Number the recommendations and mirror them in the action plan, which should be SMART with named owners and dates. If you use red, amber and green ratings, HQIP says green should be reserved for 100% compliance, with thresholds agreed by the multidisciplinary team.
Always state the sample size: HQIP notes that percentages are meaningless without it. Anonymise personal confidential data at the earliest stage, get approval under Trust policy before publishing the report in any form, and keep the full report for at least five years in line with the Records Management Code of Practice.
Writing the findings
Report each standard with its criterion, the target, the number of eligible cases and the number that met it. Explain exclusions. Describe patterns rather than individuals. Keep the discussion to what the data shows, and save opinion for the recommendations, where it can be acted on.
Common report problems
- Percentages with no denominator.
- Recommendations with no owner or date.
- Findings that name or identify individual patients or staff.
- No plan for re-audit, so the loop never closes.
Where Oriel fits
Oriel learns your department's own DOCX or PDF report template, its sections, headings, tables and placeholders, and drafts the audit report in it. Figures, criteria tables, results tables, the action plan and the appendix of every case come straight from the audit data. Where an on-site model writes prose, a draft is used only if every number in it appears in the facts sheet; otherwise the templated text stands.
Each section is reviewed by a person before sign-off, then exported. Oriel is a pilot on synthetic data only.
Questions
How long should a clinical audit report be kept?
HQIP's reporting guide says at least five years, in line with the Records Management Code of Practice.
When can I rate a standard green?
In HQIP's guidance, green is reserved for 100% compliance.
Sources
Official pages, checked October 2026. Guidance changes, so check the current version before you rely on it.
General information for healthcare managers and clinical teams, checked October 2026. It is not legal, regulatory or clinical advice; follow the current official guidance and your organisation's own policies. No patient data is used in these examples. Oriel is a working prototype shown on a fictional demo hospital with synthetic data only. It is not a medical device and is not for clinical use. It drafts and flags for people to decide; it does not diagnose or change clinical records. A clinical safety case and information-governance approval come before any use with real patient data. Oriel is a working name.