We take complaints very seriously and always try to ensure that all our patients are pleased with their experience of our service. If you do have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from our dentists or any of our staff, then please let us know.
When a patient has a complaint, this is dealt with courteously and promptly, allowing the matter to be resolved as quickly and smoothly as possible. We operate a practice complaints procedure (see below) to help us to achieve this aim.
We learn from any mistake that we make and will respond to customers’ concerns in a caring, sensitive and timely manner.
How we deal with your concerns
- The person responsible for dealing with any complaint about the service which we provide is the Practice Manager so please raise your concern with them in the first instance.
- If a patient complains on the telephone or in person, we will listen to their complaint and offer to refer him or her to the Practice Manager immediately. If the Practice Manager is not available at the time, then the patient will be informed when they will be able to talk to the Practice Manager and arrangements will be made for this to happen. The member of staff will take brief details of the complaint and pass them on to the Practice Manager. If we cannot arrange this within a reasonable period or if the patient does not wish to wait to discuss the matter with the Practice Manager, then arrangements will be made for someone else to deal with their complaint.
- If the patient complains in writing or by email, it will be passed on immediately to the Practice Manager.
- If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges it will normally be referred to the dentist concerned, unless the patient does not want this to happen.
- We will acknowledge the patient’s complaint in writing and enclose a copy of this code of practice within three working days.
- We will seek to investigate the complaint within ten working days of receipt to give an explanation of the circumstances which led to the complaint. If the patient does not wish to meet us, then we will attempt to talk to them on the telephone. If we are unable to investigate the complaint within ten working days we will notify the patient, giving reasons for the delay and a likely period within which the investigation will be completed.
- We will confirm the decision about the complaint in writing immediately after completing our investigation.
- Proper and comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received as well as any actions taken to improve services as a consequence of a complaint.
- If patients are not satisfied with the result of our procedure then a complaint may be taken further.
External contacts
- The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP. Telephone: 0345 015 4033 >> www.ombudsman.org.uk
- The Dental Complaints Service, The Lansdowne Building, 2 Lansdowne Road, Croydon, Greater London, CR9 2ER. Telephone: 08456 120 540 >> www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk
- The General Dental Council, 37 Wimpole Street, London. W1N 8DQ. Telephone: 0845 222 4141, the dentists’ regulatory body for complaints about professional misconduct >> www.gdc-uk.org
- The Care Quality Comission, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA. Telephone: 03000 616161 >> www.cqc.org.uk
