The National Clinical Audit of Perioperative Care and the perioperative practitioner: Lessons from the National Hip Fracture Database

In September 2025, the Royal College of Anaesthetists announced their intention to conduct the first National Clinical Audit of Perioperative Care. An audit project of this size and scope will impact practice for the anyone working in the perioperative environment. National level audit projects have a long history although most have limited themselves to single patient groups or care pathways. The National Hip Fracture Database is one of the longest running of these national audit projects and can offer an insight into the potential impacts of the National Clinical Audit of Perioperative Care.