Contents
- Overview
- Planning for quality improvement
- Implementing the quality improvement activity
- Reviewing progress and learning
- Finalising actions and evidence
- Year-end review and reporting
Overview
The quality and improvement (QI) programme is a three-year programme which began in April 2026. Practice owners had until 6pm on Friday 8 May 2026 to sign up to the programme via Compass. Below is our guidance on year one of the 3-year programme. Our advice on the contractual requirements is set out on our NHS dental contract changes from April 2026 for practice owners page.
NHS England (NHSE) describes the quality improvement programme as “a systematic approach to solving simple or complex issues by involving those closest to them.” NHSE explain that they believe understanding the issue well will enable them to develop ideas to support improvement by using data to learn and adapt.
In this first year NHSE has decided to focus on ensuring dental recall intervals are set in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Throughout the course of the first year of the programme, you will work towards this aim: ensuring the implementation of NICE guidelines is correct. Dental teams will work through exercises aimed at improving their recall intervals. As per NHSE’s guidance the exercises will focus on:
- Understanding your practice’s current position in respect of recall intervals to see how well you align with the current guidelines
- Looking at reasons for recall patterns and why they may or may not align with NICE guidelines
- Identifying opportunities to improve or maintain your current practice
- Considering the impact of the activities you undertake
- Sharing and discussing your learning from the project with colleagues
- Producing a practice report
- Future planning in your practice.
