Complaints Policy

Practice Complaints procedure

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the dentist or any other staff working in this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of a NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system adheres to national criteria.

How to Complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like to let us know as soon as possible. – Ideally, within a matter of days or at most a few weeks because this enables us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:

• Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem;
• or Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 month of the incident.

Complaints should be addressed to Nadia McGee, the Practice Manager in order to discuss your concerns, which will explain the complaints procedure to you and will ensure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.

What we shall do

We shall acknowledge your complaint within two working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten working days of the date when you raised it with us. We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with those involved. In investigating your complaint, we shall aim to:

• Find out what happened and what went wrong;
• Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this;
• Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate;
• Identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.

Complaining on behalf of someone else

Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of physical or mental illness) of providing this.

Complaining to he Health Authority

We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our Practice Complaints Procedure. We believe this will provide the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice. However should you wish to seek alternative way to complain, please telephone NHS England on 0300 311 2233. Private patients can complain to The Dental Complaints Service on  0845 120 540  or  General Dental Council  on  0207 887 380