Quality Improvement cycle updated by the Scottish Government
An update to the current current Quality Improvement ( QI ) cycle for NHS dental practices, which began on 1 August 2022 and is scheduled to end on on 31 July 2025, has been published by the Scottish Government.
In a letter published last week, Tom Ferris, the Chief Dental Officer, said that compliance with the QI requirements will be achieved through the completion of three different elements.
The first is the submission of a team-based reflective by practices that will provide NHS Boards and the Scottish Government an understanding of how the new Determination I and payment reform is working.
On completion of three elements, dentists will be considered to have satisfied their QI commitment
He said: “The report will allow teams to reflect on how implementation is progressing and facilitate the development of an action plan with the aim of improving the oral health of patients and the quality of care provided to patients during the ongoing implementation phase.”
A pro forma is being developed and will be sent to practices early in 2024. The intention is “to allow practices sufficient time for proper reflection after the first few months of using the new Determination I.”
The second requirement is for each deentist in the practice to undertake an online training module through Turas aimed at improving the awareness of the dental team of issues around Equality and Diversity. The date for the release of the module will be confirmed shortly.
The third is the completion of a practice-level workforce census to enable the Scottish Government and NHS boards to better understand the current workforce with a view to informing workforce planning. This is provisionally timed for early 2024.
“On completion of all of these three elements, all dentists in the practice will be considered to have satisfied their QI commitment for the 2022-25 cycle and will be eligible to make the appropriate claim under Determinaiton XI of the Statement of Dental Remuneration (no other QI activity will be necessary or considered for this cycle),” said the CDO. “Work is progressing in preparation for the roll out of these activities and will be supported by NES. I will write to you once again with a further update in due course.”
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