• when a non Trust employee is involved in data collection or data input
• when confidentiality may be compromised
• when work is externally sponsored
• for all non degree/dissertation research studies
• for degree/dissertation research studies that involve patient/client participation
• when any questionnaire will request sensitive information
• when questions will be asked of patients or relatives in sensitive circumstances.

Ethical review is done by the Local Research Ethics Committee (LREC aka GREC for Gloucestershire Research Ethics Committee), they will also review whether or not the proposed project is really audit.

 If you have any doubts then a first call to the Clinical Audit team or the Trust's RDSU (Research and Development Support Unit) on x5464 at GRH is advisable.

 The Clinical Ethics Committee is not normally relevant to Clinical Audit, but is relevant to the general aspects of patient care.

Note that audits are not research, though they may form part of a research project, see "Distinguishing between Audit, Research and Service Evaluation".