News from the performance improvement and compliance branch September 2008- The Performance Improvement and Compliance (PIC) Branch is part of the Health System Accountability and Performance Division of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. This branch is responsible for identifying and implementing performance improvement strategies and monitoring the performance and compliance of long-term care homes. In other words, this is the branch responsible for monitoring long-term care homes and ensuring that they meet government standards. The PIC branch is undertaking to move the compliance system to a more outcome-focused and risk-responsive model. As a part of this initiative, the Branch is working to develop a comprehensive list of risk indicators that will form the basis of a risk management framework. They have been consulting with representatives from the many stakeholders in the long-term care sector, including researchers, long-term care homes, the industry associations, data and quality/risk experts and consumer groups, such as Concerned Friends. The goal is to have a list of risk indicators that • can be assessed, evaluated and mitigated; • are transparent; • include both clinical and non-clinical risks; and • are user-friendly. It is to be hoped that these risk indicators will act as “red flags” to trigger further investigation by the compliance advisor and result in a system is focused on key factors that impact on the care and quality of life of residents. |