National Centre for Clinical Audit
The National Centre for Clinical Audit (NCCA) aim to improve the development of an end to end process for clinical audit. This aligns with the recommendations in the National Review of Clinical Audit Report. It also meets the needs of clinical audit service providers and multi-disciplinary stakeholders.
What we do
We work to implement the recommendations of the National Review of Clinical Audit Report (PDF, 3.6 MB, 112 pages).
The 5 key pillars of our work are:
- national governance of clinical audit
- local governance of clinical audit
- clinical audit training
- clinical audit education resources
- legislative changes affecting clinical audit - i.e. GDPR and data protect
HSE Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Colm Henry, discusses the National Review of Clinical Audit report 2019, the launch of the HSE National Centre for Clinical Audit in April 2022 and the importance of clinical audit in any health system.
Service providers
A wide range of national clinical audits are commissioned and managed on behalf of the HSE.
These are our clinical audit service providers:
Resources
Clinical Audit Portal
The NCCA Clinical Audit Portal is the central hub for clinical audit resources. It was developed in line with recommendations from the 2019 National Review of Clinical Audit.
The portal serves as the home for clinical audit guidance, training and supporting materials.
This portal is searchable. You can enter your key search terms, like 'proposal form' or 'hip fracture audit', and it will locate the document. You can then download it.
Key features include:
- policies and procedures
- training materials
- forms
- publications
- NCCA audits
- national clinical audit reports
- local clinical audit reports
- validated clinical audit tools
Access the portal in HCI Knowledge - NCCAQ
Training and events
The Fundamentals in Clinical Audit Course is delivered either via e-learning or virtually over one full day and one half day.
Find the e-learning course on on HSELand - hseland.ie.
The Advanced Clinical Audit Course will be delivered virtually over one day.
The training is interactive and provides a wealth of educational resources and further signposting.
For information on 2025 clinical audit training events and dates, please see the NQPS Prospectus of Quality and Patient Safety Education and Learning Programmes below.
HSE National Centre for Clinical Audit Prospectus 2025 (PDF, 1.05 MB, 14 pages)
Clinical Audit Awareness Week 2025
Clinical Audit Awareness Week 2025 was a powerful celebration of quality improvement, learning, and shared impact across healthcare services. Themed “Clinical Audit, Humans and AI: Smarter Together,” the week brought together clinicians, auditors, and healthcare leaders to reflect on innovation in practice.
The week highlighted how clinical audit continues to drive safe, effective, and person-centred care—smarter, together. Thank you to everyone who contributed, attended, presented, supported, or cheered us on throughout the week.
Clinical Audit Awareness week 2025
If you would like to submit a clinical audit case study that your organisation is running for potential use within the HSE National Clinical Audit Centre training programme, please complete the Case Study Template.
Assistant National Director
Majella Daly