Complaints Procedure

Practice Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the dentists or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure that adheres to national criteria. Mark Doyle is the responsible person who ensures compliance with Complaint Regulations and ensures appropriate action is taken following investigation of a complaint. Alisha Davies is our practice manager who is responsible for managing complaints

How to Complain

Should a problem arise, it can usually be sorted out quickly and easily 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. 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 12 months from the date of treatment; or
• within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem.

Complaints should be addressed to any of the dentists or to the practice manager. You may ask for an appointment in order to discuss your concerns. The complaints procedure will be explained to you, and we will ensure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.

It will be a great help if you are specific as possible about your complaint.

What we shall do

We will try, wherever possible, to:

• Acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and give you a time-scale as to when you can expect a reply. This will normally be as soon as reasonably possible after completing an investigation into your complaint.
• 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 explanation and an apology where this is appropriate.
• Identify what we can do to make sure that the problem does not happen again.

Complaining on behalf of someone else

Please note that we adhere strictly to the rules of confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of physical or mental illness) of providing this.

Complaining to the NHS Area Team (NHS Patients), The Dental Complaints Service (Private Patients) or Denplan (Denplan Patients)

We hope that if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe that this will provide the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and be an opportunity to improve our practice. However, you still have the right to approach the NHS Area Team, The Dental Complaints Service or Denplan, depending on whether you are an NHS, Private or Denplan patient, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or if you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation. You should contact the relevant complaints manager for further advice. The addresses are as follows:

Contact Details

NHS Complaints 

NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Kirkham House, John Comyn Drive, Perdiswell, Worcester, WR3 7NS
Tel: 0330 053 4356 (ask to speak to the Complaints Team)
Email: hwicb.complaints-dental:nhs.net

Private Patient Complaints

The Dental Complaints Service, 37 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 8DQ
020 8253 0800 at local rate (Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm)

Denplan Complaints

Simplyhealth Customer Relations, Hambleden House, Waterloo Court, Andover, Hampshire, SP10 1LQ
0800 401 402 (Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm)
Email: DenplanCustomer.Relations@simplyhealth.co.uk

Still Unhappy?

If you remain unhappy after an attempt at resolution of your complaint by either the surgery or one of the above organisations, then you may request a review of your complaint by the Ombudsman (Health Service Commissioner)

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Citygate, Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HQ
0345 015 4033
www.ombudsman.org.uk