Multi-site Audit Funding

Quick links:

• Upcoming funding opportunities >>
• Criteria and guidelines for applying >>
• Previous funding calls >>
  

Upcoming funding opportunities

There are currently no multi-site audit funding opportunities.  Details of any future opportunities will be announced here as soon as they become available. 

You may also wish to sign up to the HQIP ebulletin, which will contain announcements of any new funding opportunities as soon as they become available.

Back to top >> 

Criteria and guidelines for applying

What is classed as a multi-site clinical audit?

HQIP already commissions and supports national clinical audits through the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP) into conditions or interventions that merit national attention, and is keen to support local audits which address local issues. However, some topics fall between the two: conditions or interventions applied in particular settings which could be benchmarked against other centres or regions, but are not national in coverage, those that only affect a small number of patients or are relatively less established.  It is these types of audits which can be supported by the multi-site clinical audit funding.

Is my Trust's audit of multiple hospitals classed as a multi-site audit?

Multi-site audits are those where different hospitals or other clinical sites based in different areas (eg GP practices) participate in a shared audit. To be eligible for funding, there needs to be a collaboration across different provider Trusts in other geographical areas. A single Trust, even if based on several hospital sites, cannot apply on its own but would have to work with at least nine other Trusts. Similarly, one GP practice needs to work with others and cannot submit on its own, even if it has more than one surgery.

What is the multi-centre clinical audit funding for?

• HQIP's funding for multi-site audits will support groups to build up these clinical audits to assess compliance with guidelines or emerging best practice. HQIP's funding and area of activity covers only local or regional audits in England, or national audits within England and Wales. Proposals from Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, or which partly cover these areas, are ineligible for this fund.

• The funding is NOT available for audits which meet the criteria for national audit funding.

• The funding is not designed to pay for staff time of local audit or clinical staff involved in contributing to national audits - it applies to the development costs of new audits on subjects not already covered by national programmes; and which are being conducted on a collaborative basis by local staff working across geographical areas.

National Clinical Audit Forum (NCAF)

Multi-site audits can make use of the National Clinical Audit Forum (NCAF) which launched at the end of June 2009. All groups granted funding are encouraged to join NCAF, and form a group in order to communicate and manage some of their work in connection with the audit they are carrying out. 

In addition, HQIP has just launched an NCAF group for multi-site clinical audits to communicate and discuss common problems and successes.  HQIP hopes this will build on and enrich the discussions that take place at the multi-site audit project review days, by providing a permanent space for communicating and sharing.

Back to top >> 

There have been three previous rounds of funding for multi-site audits.  See the Award funding & application guide from February 2011 >>

 Back to top >>

Useful links

You may also be interested in these pages:

• Multi-site audit home page >>
• Current multi-site audits >>
• Guidance and support for multi-site audits >>