Auditing Restrictive Practice: Are You Asking the Right Questions?
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It’s easy to say you audit restrictive practice — but what are you really checking? Commissioners increasingly want providers to move beyond incident logs and demonstrate a genuine commitment to rights-based care.
📋 What Are You Auditing — and Why?
An effective restrictive practice audit should explore:
- Is this restriction still necessary?
- Has the person been involved in the review?
- Are there less restrictive options available?
If your audits only focus on frequency or staff compliance, you're missing the point.
🔄 Turning Audits into Action
To show impact, your service should:
- Hold multi-disciplinary reviews of restrictions
- Link audits to PBS training refreshers
- Track reductions over time, with real examples
Good audit tools create meaningful conversations — not just paperwork.
📑 What to Say in Tenders
In learning disability tenders, commissioners want to see how you:
- Review every restriction regularly and with purpose
- Involve people and families in decision-making
- Use audit results to change practice — not just record it
Show your process, your values, and your results. That’s what earns trust.