No specific guidance has been given on this by the Medical Council. However, it is likely that in the event of scrutiny of compliance with the requirements of professional competence, you should be able to demonstrate that you have measured your audit activity against a reasonably up-to-date guideline or protocol.
Given that no specific guidance has been given, it is reasonable to assume (until directed otherwise by the Medical Council) that if the initial audit fulfilled the recommended time requirements in that year, the re-audit could be conducted the following year in full/part fulfilment (depending on size) of that year's requirements. However, it is unlikely that it will be acceptable to continue repeating the same audit each year. Another suggestion is that you have a five-year cycle of audits with each of five audit topics completed once in a five-year cycle.
Source: ICGP Clinical Audit Toolkit
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