Provider Information Return (PIR) - Why it matters and completion essentials
What is a Provider Information Return (PIR)?
CQC PIR (Provider Information Return) forms are intrinsically linked to Key Lines of Enquiries (KLOEs) and are designed to assist inspectors to gather useful information about an adult social care provider before an inspection takes place.
Before we start exploring the CQC PIR, if you are not aware, the CQC has revamped and introduced fundamental changes to inspections of services across health and social care. As part of this they have replaced the Key Lines of Enquiry and made a host of other important changes you should be aware of.
Read our article on the new CQC Single Assessment Framework and for a more detailed look you should also download these free guides on the CQC's:
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Despite these changes, the CQC's five key questions remain, and the content requested as part of a PIR includes key data, as well as some information in response to those five key questions around your service's:
- Safety
- Effectiveness
- Level of care
- Responsiveness
- Well-led approach
This pre-inspection questionnaire is sent to providers to help the Care Quality Commission (CQC) determine which areas the inspectors will focus on during their visit.
What is the CQC PIR Guidance?
Not only do CQC inspectors use these forms to learn about how an adult care provider operates, they also wish to learn which aspects of care an organisation values the most in their practice. While the PIR questions are specific, these forms are not prescriptive in how the questions should be answered. The only key expectations of the CQC is that responses are to be concise, and that they provide examples. With a maximum character limit of 2,500 for each free text answer, organisations need to be smart to ensure they provide as much information and evidence as possible, while fitting within the space provided. No supporting documentation can be attached to the PIR, so evidence must be solely provided within the form itself. However, the CQC has stated that they will contact adult care providers following the PIR submission if they require further information.
It is essential that providers have up-to-date, accurate records that they can refer to when completing the PIR. Accessing the correct documentation easily and quickly can be a major issue for adult care providers, as the volume of records needed when reflecting on 12 months’ worth of data can be immense. The CQC provides hints and tips on completing PIRs.
This section asks providers to detail all medicine errors in the previous 12 months. This includes when a dose was missed, wrongly recorded, given to the wrong person, administered in an incorrect manner, when the wrong medicine was given, or when too little or too much medicine was administered. Providing this high volume of information means adult care providers must store their documentation in an easy to access manner. Software solutions that provide electronic care plans, notes and charts are an effective way to store and access documentation simply, and are proving increasingly popular as the push for evidence based reporting continues.
While the prospect of KLOE and the PIR can seem daunting when faced with them for the first time, the heart of these initiates is about ensuring older people throughout the UK are given safe, compassionate, effective and high-quality care; something all adult care providers wish to achieve. By ensuring documentation is up to date and accurate, and that staff are well informed about the process of inspections, adult social care organisations can prepare themselves for CQC inspections to the best of their ability.
