Criteria for audit of annual reports on the public health: do they exist?

Production of an annual report is a statutory duty of the Director of Public Health; its production uses significant resources. Audit of reports may help in the effective use of these resources. For audit to be performed criteria need to be agreed upon which to set standards. The present study investigated whether Directors of Public Health agree on suitable criteria for the audit of annual health reports. Districts within North East Thames Regional Health Authority were paired; Directors of Public Health, who had produced the most recent report, interviewed each other using a semi-structured questionnaire. Reports were examined for the presence of the 'key indicators' from the common data set. The results show that there was little agreement on what were suitable criteria to evaluate reports. The criteria in the Toolbox produced by the Faculty of Public Health Medicine were thought to be unsuitable because of the diversity of Districts. Effective audit requires agreed criteria and standards but these were not identified. The Faculty criteria were not considered suitable. Directors of Public Health may develop criteria that they consider suitable for audit of their annual report in discussion, focusing upon their objectives in producing an annual report. This should be the first step in the audit process and an integral part of producing an annual report.