Quality Review Panels (QRPs)

The Quality Review Panel is the mechanism whereby the Dental Directorate is able to monitor and respond to the data, information and intelligence relating to the quality of postgraduate dental training.

QRPs are held at the beginning of our quality cycle each year. The usual membership of the DDQMG participates in the QRP.

The Quality review panel considers all the data, information and intelligence for the training year that has just ended about the training in the relevant specialties across Scotland that are within the remit of that specific QRP.  The purpose of the QRP is to decide what actions are needed to ensure standards are being met and to improve the quality of training. The information considered during QRPs, that is also used by DDQMG throughout the year to monitor the quality of education and training, includes:

• Annual trainee surveys conducted by the Advisory Board for Foundation Training in Dentistry (ABFTD) and the Advisory Board for Specialty Training in Dentistry (ABSTD).
• Scottish Trainee Survey (an end of post survey) - flags and free text comments are considered.
• Annual review of competence (ARCP) outcomes – the annual review of trainee competence & progression is reviewed to consider outlying programmes compared to UK results.
• Reports from Training Programme Directors (TPDs) – this includes comments from the TPDs on survey data & their general summary of highlights and concerns.
• Reports from Directors of Dentistry – this includes comment from the DoDs on survey data.
• Previous visit reports
• Local intelligence – this may be provided from specialty training committees or shared by members of the panel during the meeting.
• Outreach - There is a separate undergraduate QRP involving the Dental Schools that considers all the available data, information and intelligence for the final year undergraduate trainees who are undertaking Outreach placements in all relevant Outreach Centres across Scotland. The undergraduate QRP purpose is to decide what actions are necessary to improve the quality of undergraduate Outreach training. The output of the undergraduate QRP can inform decisions made at DDQMG. 

The decisions from QRPs include:

• the need to obtain more information from a TPD or DoD (enquiries)
• or to conduct a visit (a triggered visit, an immediate triggered visit)
• or to continue close monitoring of future data (such as surveys) at this may ultimately lead to either of the above actions or to a decision that the potential concern is now resolved.

These activities inform the DDQMG’s understanding of the quality of training that is provided at a site or in a programme. The QRPs also identify sites where there are multiple signals of potential good practice and issue letters commending the quality of training to the trainers, DOD's & TPDs who are associated with the relevant units. Full details of how QRPs are conducted is provided through the QRP standard operating procedure. 

This page was last updated on: 12.11.2019 at 11.25