Quality review panels (QRPs)

A key responsibility of our 3 Specialty Quality Management Groups (sQMGs) is to monitor and respond to the data, information and intelligence relating to the quality of postgraduate training in their specialties. This includes the running of their data reviews. 

The data reviews are held twice per year. The usual membership of the sQMG participates in the Data Reviews and Representatives from relevant Royal Colleges and from the Director of Medical Education group are also invited. 

1st Data Review - (3 of, 1 for each SQMG) – Take place in August/September

At these we look at the data from the previous year’s GMC National Training Survey and our Scottish Training Survey for the year, commentary from DME reports and commentary from TPD reports to decide whether any actions ware required.

2nd data reviews (3 of, 1 for each SQMG) – Take place in March

At these we review the November/December and January February runs of the Scottish Training Survey to identify if action was required for the bottom 10% of sites and review more generally the rest of the data.

The purpose of the Data Reviews are to decide what actions are needed to ensure standards are being met and to improve the quality of training. The information considered during Data Reviews, that is also used by sQMGs throughout the year to monitor the quality of education and training, includes:

  • Annual General Medical Council's (GMC's) National Trainee Survey (NTS) – both flags and free text comments are considered.
  • Annual GMC's National Trainer Survey – flags are included.
  • 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 Medical Education (DMEs) – this includes comment from the DME on survey data
  • Notifications of concern – this is the process by which trainees, trainers or other relevant staff can report a concern to us throughout the year.
  • Previous Quality Management Activity - a list of recent activity.
  • Local intelligence – this may be provided from specialty training committees or shared by members of the panel during the meeting.

Training programme director (TPD) report from NES on Vimeo.

The decisions from Data Reviews include:

Visit:

Where we meet with all cohorts of Resident Doctors in Training (RDITs), trainers and the DME and the local team and produce a report and requirements if they are required. 

Quality Engagement Meeting:

QM activity to discuss specific concerns that may have come up in the survey data and have raised some concern with the SQMG but not enough of a concern to trigger a visit, or it could be to explore local concerns that have been highlighted to us by either trainees, TPDs or regional APGDs. 

Enquiry – DME/TPD/APGD:

(Where we have specific questions about what we see in the survey data or where we may have a lack on intelligence and are looking to gain some information on the training that takes place at a site)

Monitor/Action underway: This where we have a cycle underway SMART objectives meeting or Action Plan Review meeting. Under this banner is:

SMART Objectives Meeting - Is to discuss the issues underpinning visit requirements that have been set at a deanery visit and to agree together with the local team and med ed team what SMART objective/s, if achieved, will result in complete resolution of the requirements which again is a collaborative process.

Action Plan Review meeting: (Is to engage and support Boards and those responsible for taking forward the actions from a visit and follows a SMART objective meeting usually around 6 – 9 months later.

These activities inform the sQMG’s understanding of the quality of training that is provided at a site or in a programme. The Data Reviews also identify sites where there are multiple signals of potential good practice and issue letters commending the quality of training to the trainers, DMEs and TPDs who are associated with the relevant units. 

This page was last updated on: 05.11.2025 at 14.01