Complaints & Feedback Procedure – last updated 14/7/17
- We operate a Practice Complaints Procedure for dealing with patients’ complaints. Our complaints system adheres to National Health Service guidelines.
- If you feel aggrieved at any aspect of the service that you have received in our practice, please inform any member of the staff at your earliest convenience. Your concerns will be dealt with immediately and in the strictest of confidence.
- A complaint will have to be made within 12 months of the incident occurring which is the cause for concern.
- Any complaints that remain unresolved after 6 months must be reviewed to ensure that everything is being done to attempt to resolve the case.
- Complainants can now complain to the NHS PCT and request that the PCT investigate their complaint, if you do not wish to complain directly to the practice in the first instance.
- We sincerely hope that we are able to deal with, and resolve your problem first and as quickly as possible and with the least amount of inconvenience to yourself, which is why we ask you to write or let us know first.
- We will endeavour to respond to your concerns within 3 working days and supply a written response within 10 working days. We will exhaust all possibilities to try and produce a solution to any concerns that you may have, which may include an offer to discuss the matter with an appropriate person in the practice.
- We hope that our in-practice procedures will satisfy any concerns that you may have. In the event that we are unable to resolve your problem we will direct you to the appropriate authority, within twenty-eight days, who will then assist you further.
- Please direct all written correspondence to the dentist concerned, in the first instance, or to the principal, Mr D Keane or Mr S Keane. Or the Practice Manager, Miss D Kieran. This will ensure you your concerns are dealt with promptly.
- We hope that you will use our complaints procedure and give us the opportunity to amend any shortcomings on our part. It is only through your feedback that we can improve our services to you.
- In the event of a complaint being raised you will not be discriminated against as a result.Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else
If you are bringing to our attention a problem encountered by someone else we will gladly look into the matter providing you have written authority to act on that persons’ behalf.
Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of confidentiality. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless that are incapable of providing this because of physical or mental illness or are a child under 16 years.
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. However 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 further advice you should contact:
For Private Patients
Dental Complaints Service Stephenson House
2 Cherry Orchard Road Croydon
CR0 6BA
Tel. 08456 120 540
E-mail: info@dentalcomplaints.org.uk
You may also like to contact The General Dental Council for more advice
The General Dental Council 37 Wimpole Street
London
W1M 8DQ
Tel. 020 7887 3800
E-mail: Complaints@gdc-uk.org
For those NHS patients who have a complaint regarding treatment you have received under the NHS you can also contact NHS England – their contact details are as follow: PLEASE NOTE- This can only be done if you prefer not to notify the practice first, to allow the practice a chance to resolve the complaint. If you still wish to take it further after our response contact The Ombudsman and not NHS England.
Ombudsman details
NHS England
Tele;0300 311 2233
Email England.contactus@nhs.uk
Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS) Tele;0845 4561083
For patients registered with this practice as a Denplan patient, you can contact Denplan by telephone for advice:
Denplan
Tel. 0800 169 7220
PLEASE NOTE if you are not satisfied with our in-house response and wish to take it further you can contact
Parliamentary and Health Service
Ombudsman
Millbank tower Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Enquiries 0345 015 4033 Fax 0300 061 4000
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