COMPLAINTS POLICY AND PROCEDURE

We are committed to maintaining the highest standards in all aspects of care. So when patients and visitors offer praise – or criticism – we listen carefully. We review all the comments you make and we use that information to improve our services and facilities even further.

Practice complaints procedure

Any complaints or concerns about the treatment or service you have received from the dentists or any of the staff working at the Family Dental Care should in the first instance be addressed to the receptionist who will endeavour to direct the matter to the most appropriate person within the practice. Your complaint will be dealt with at a local level within the practice i.e. we have an in-house practice based complaints procedure.

 

How to complain

We hope that most problems can be resolved easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned.  If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, you must let us know as soon as possible – ideally, within a matter of days or at the most weeks as this will enable 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 you think caused the problem; or
  • within 1 month of discovering you have a problem, so long as this is within 12 months of the incident.

Complaints should be addressed to the Complaints Manager or the dentist who carried out the treatment.  Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with the dentist concerned in order to discuss your problem.  He/she will listen to your complaint and will deal with it as quickly as possible.  It would be helpful to us if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.

What we shall do

We shall acknowledge your complaint within 2 days of receiving it and aim to have looked into your complaint within 10 days of the date you raised it to our attention.  Should further investigations be necessary in order to obtain all the relevant facts, there may be a delay in offering you an explanation, in which case you will be notified and given the reason for the delay.   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 ensure that the problem doesn’t recur.

Complaining on behalf of someone else

We keep strictly to the rules of patient confidentiality.  Therefore, if you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must have written permission by the person complaining unless they are incapable due to mental or physical handicap.

We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use the above practice based procedure.  We believe that this is the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong or allowing us to give you a clear explanation. If you feel that your complaint has not been dealt with satisfactorily at the local resolutions stage of the process, you may contact the following:

  • Citizens Advice Bureau
    A local solicitor.
    private dental services – the Dental Complaints Service on 08456 120 540 or visitwww.dentalcomplaints.org.uk