PSD Scotland’s Dental Directorate achieves top ratings
Public Services Delivery (PSD) Scotland is celebrating excellence across all categories following His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) inspection in March.
At the time of the inspection, the Dental Directorate formed part of NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and is now part of PSD Scotland following its establishment on 1 April 2026.
The Modern Apprenticeship in Dental Nursing programme was recognised for ‘Excellent: Outstanding and Sector Leading’ across all HMIE quality indicators:
- Leadership and Management
- Quality of Training
- Progress and Outcomes
Inspectors also identified the team’s digitally enabled delivery model and innovative assessment approaches as ‘Highly Effective Practice’, recognising their positive national impact on quality, sustainability and learner experience.
The Modern Apprenticeship in Dental Nursing is delivered by PSD Scotland’s Dental Care Professionals (DCP) Workstream. The team was established in 2006 to strengthen and advance dental nurse education in Scotland. At that time, the Scottish Government’s Action Plan for Improving Oral Health and Modernising Dental Services highlighted the need to expand both the availability and quality of dental nurse education ahead of compulsory General Dental Council registration. It also called for improved access to post registration education to support career progression and high quality patient care.
Twenty years on, the DCP Workstream delivers a wide range of high quality, blended learning programmes that support dental nurses, orthodontic therapists, practice managers and dental receptionists to achieve recognised qualifications and develop sustainable career pathways. Collectively, this provision contributes to the delivery of safe, effective and high quality dental care across Scotland.
Caroline Taylor, Associate Postgraduate Dental Dean (DCP Workstream) PSD Scotland said: “We are exceptionally proud that HM Inspectors have graded our Modern Apprenticeship in Dental Nursing programme as Excellent across leadership and management, delivery of training and progress and outcomes.
“These inspection outcomes strongly endorse our commitment to providing accessible, high quality, learner-centred education, and highlight the strength of the collaborative partnerships with apprentices and employers that sit at the heart of our work, reflecting our ethos of ‘People first, Partnership always approach’.
“This recognition acknowledges the dedication and professionalism of our colleagues and reaffirms our continued focus on developing a skilled and sustainable dental workforce across Scotland.”
Lee Savarrio, Postgraduate Dean and Director of Dentistry, PSD Scotland, said: “This fantastic report is a clear signal that Public Services Delivery Scotland’s dental nursing modern apprenticeship provision is setting a benchmark for excellence.
“It reflects a strong, consistent culture of improvement and a model of education that is responsive to service need, supports learners to thrive and strengthens workforce capacity where it matters most. I want to thank apprentices, employers and everyone involved in delivery and support for the professionalism, care and ambition they bring to this programme. We will continue to champion innovation, equity of access and robust quality assurance so that dental nurse students across Scotland can develop with confidence and their patients benefit from a resilient, future ready dental team workforce.”
HMIE inspects all providers of apprenticeship training in Scotland to ensure that provision is of high quality, aligns with national strategies, and meets the needs of employers and apprentices. The inspection report has been published on the HMIE website.
More information
The online application process for the 2026-2027 PSD Scotland Modern Apprenticeship in Dental Nursing programme starting in September will open on Monday 27 July 2026 at 9.00am and will close on Monday 3 August 2026 at 9.00am.