care policies

complaints procedures

We want all our patients to have a positive experience of the practice and we therefore take complaints very seriously indeed. Whenever possible we aim to resolve issues quickly and informally and for this reason we encourage all our patients to discuss any issues of concern at the time of treatment with the treating dentist and/or surgery staff.

In the event that any patient is dissatisfied with the treatment they have received, and the issue is not resolved on the spot, we are committed to dealing with all complaints sympathetically in the manner we would wish a complaint we made to be dealt with.

All complaints will initially be referred to the practice manager, Mr Amresh Shah. In the event that a complaint is made by telephone or in person at reception and the practice manager is not available for any reason then reception staff will take a note of the details of the complaint and either the practice manager or the treating dentist will contact the patient as soon as possible (normally within 24 hours during the working week) to discuss the issues raised. In the event that a complaint is made in writing the letter will be referred to the practice manager.

In the event that a complaint relates to any aspect of clinical care (including charges) the matter will always be referred to the treating dentist unless the complainant specifically requests that this not be done.

All complaints will be acknowledged in writing (together with a copy of this code of practice) normally within 3 working days. We will investigate the complaint as soon as possible and notify the patient of our response within 10 working days of its being made wherever possible. Where this is best done face to face, the patient will be invited to a meeting at the practice, or, if this should not be possible, we will endeavour to contact the patient by telephone at a mutually convenient time. In the event that, exceptionally, we are unable to complete an investigation within 10 working days the patient will be notified accordingly and told when we expect to be able to reply. Following any meeting or telephone conversation, we will confirm the practice’s response in writing as soon as possible after speaking to the patient.

We will maintain proper records of any and all complaints made.

In the event that the patient is not satisfied with the practice’s response, then they shall be entitled to refer the matter to either:

• the Dental Complaints Service, Stephenson House 2 Cherry Orchard Road Croydon CR0 6BA (tel 08456 120540 – info@dentalcomplaints.org.uk) or
• the General Dental Council, 37 Wimpole Street London W1G 8DQ (08452 224141 – www.gdc-uk.org). (The GDC is the dentists registration body).