If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure, and take any problems very seriously. Our complaint system adheres to national criteria.
How to Complain
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, 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, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible – ideally, within a matter of days or at most a few weeks – because this will enable us to establish what happened most easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:
- Within six months of the incident that caused the problem; or
- Within six months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within twelve months of the incident.
Complaints about the treatment you received should be made to the person who normally sees you. Alternatively, the person responsible for dealing with any complaints about the service that we provide is Alison Jasper, and you may speak with her to discuss your concerns. She will explain the complaints procedure to you and will ensure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will help if you are as clear as possible about your complaint.
What We Will Do
We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten working days of the date when you raised it with us. We will then be in a position to give you an explanation, or offer a meeting with those involved.
In investigating your complaint, we will aim to:
- Find out what happened and what went wrong;
- Enable you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this;
- Ensure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate;
- Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.
Full and accurate records are kept of any complaint received.
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 the permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable of providing this because of physical or mental illness or are a child under 16 years.
Please note, the duty of confidentiality remains even if the complaint concerns a deceased patient. In some circumstances, it may be necessary to obtain the consent of the executor of the patient’s estate or their personal representative.
Complaining to Dental Complaints Service
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will make use of 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. This does not affect your right to complain to the Dental Complaints Service, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation.
If you wish for further advice, you may like to contact the General Dental Council:
Dental Complaints Service
37 Wimpole Street
London
W1G 8DQ
Telephone 020 8253 0800 (Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm)
Website https://dcs.gdc-uk.org/