ABSTRACT

The process of checking that the type of consultation service that is offered in practice, matches the level and quality of the service that was intended is often referred to as clinical audit. It is useful to conduct this at both an individual case level and also at a global service level. At an individual case level, clinical audit answers the questions like:

In this case, how did the consultation process help the clients achieve their goals?

If goals were not achieved, what went wrong?

If the goals were achieved, how might the approach taken to consultation in this case be applied to other similar cases?

Table 16.1 in Chapter 16, where the entire consultation process with the Barrows is summarized succinctly, is a typical example of an audit summary for an individual case. Considering this summary in the light of the three column formulation set out in Figure 7.1 and of the original contract would be a useful way to audit this case. This could be done by an individual therapist, a clinical team, or a group of professional peers. Professional peer review meetings are particularly valuable, because they provide a forum within which colleagues can receive feedback on their clinical work from other therapists.