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Complaints policy

In our dental practice, we take complaints very seriously and try to ensure that our patients are pleased with our service.

  1. The person responsible for dealing with any complaint about a service we provide is our Practice Manager.
  2. If a patient complains over the telephone or at the reception desk, we will listen to their complaint and offer to refer them to the Practice Manager via email [email protected]. A copy of our complaints policy can be printed or emailed to any patient requesting it.
  3. If the patient complains in writing, the letter or email will be passed on to the Practice Manager.
  4. If a complaint is made regarding any aspect of clinical care or associated charges, it will normally be referred to the dentist, unless the patient does not want this to happen.
  5. We will acknowledge the patients’ complaint in writing, normally within 3 working days.
  6. We will seek to investigate the complaint within 10 working days of receipt to give an explanation of the circumstances which led to the complaint. If we are unable to investigate the complaint within 10 working days we will notify the patient.
  7. On completion of our investigation, we will provide the patient with a full written report. The report will include an explanation of how the complaint has been considered, the conclusion reached in respect of each specific part of the complaint, details of any necessary remedial action and whether the practice is satisfied with any action it has already taken or will be taking as a result of the complaint. For more complicated cases this can take up to 6 months.
  8. Proper and comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received.
  9. It would be expected that ‘in house’ arbitration would have been sought before taking matters further to the General Dental Council.
  10. If patients are not satisfied with the result of our procedure then a complaint may be made to:
    1. The Dental Complaints Service 020 8253 0800 or by visiting http://www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk for complaints about private dental treatment.
    2. The General Dental Council, at http://www.gdc-uk.org or by calling 020 7167 6000.
    3. The Care Quality Commission by calling 03000 616161.
    4. NHS England – [email protected], Tel: 0300 311 2233 for complaints about NHS treatment.
    5. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank London SW1P 4QP (tel: 0345 015 4033 or ombudsman.org.uk for complaints about NHS treatment).

How you make a complaint about primary care services is changing on 1 July 2023.

From 1 July 2023 the way members of the public make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner is changing.

By primary care services we mean GPs, dentists, opticians or pharmacy services.

There are two ways you can make a complaint:

You can complain to the healthcare provider: this is the organisation where you received the NHS service, for example a GP surgery or dental surgery.

Or

You can complain to the commissioner of the service: this is the organisation that paid for the service or care you received.

After 1 July 2023 if you want to make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner you will need to contact North Central London Integrated Care Board instead of NHS England.

You can do this by:

Telephone: 020 3198 9743

E-mail: [email protected]

Post:
North Central London Integrated Care Board
Complaints Team
Laycock PDC
Laycock Street
London
N1 1TH

If you have a formal complaint to make, it is always advisable to try and resolve an issue directly with the provider in the first instance.

Members of the public with ongoing complaints received on/after 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that the ICB is now handling their complaint with confirmation of their case handler.

Members of the public with any ongoing complaints received before 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that their complaint is being retained by NHS England with confirmation of their case handler.

If you have any queries, please contact [email protected]

You have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service, and this is written into the NHS Constitution on GOV.UK.

Find out more about how to feedback or make a complaint about an NHS service.

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