We have a Practice Complaints Procedure in accordance with the General Dental Council and aim to deal with any concern or complaint as promptly and effectively as possible. Please contact the Manager, in the first instance. We will acknowledge any written correspondence within 3 working days. Then, depending on the nature of the concern or complaint, will respond within 10 working days, either by telephone or written correspondence. If we are unable to resolve your concern or complaint to both sides’ mutual satisfaction, you can contact the General Dental Council.

In this Clinic we take complaints very seriously and try to ensure that all our patients are pleased with their experience of our service. When patients complain, they are dealt with courteously and promptly so that the matter is resolved as quickly as possible. This procedure is based on these objectives.

Our aim is to listen to the complaint and respond to customers’ concerns in a caring and sensitive way.

1. The person responsible for dealing with any complaint about the service that we provide is in the first instance the Manager.
2. If a patient complains on the telephone or at the reception desk, we will listen to their complaint and offer to resolve it immediately with a positive outcome. If the Manager is not available at the time, then the patient will be told when they will be able to talk to them and arrangements will be made for this to happen. The member of staff taking the complaint will take brief details of the complaint and pass them on. If we cannot arrange this within a reasonable period or if the patient does not wish to wait to discuss the matter, arrangements will be made for the manager to contact them.
3. If the patient complains in writing the letter will be passed on immediately to the Manager.
4. If a complaint is about 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 patient’s complaint in writing and enclose a copy of this code of practice as soon as possible, 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 the patient does not wish to meet us, then we will attempt to talk to them on the telephone. If we are unable to investigate the complaint within 10 working days we will notify the patient, giving reasons for the delay and a likely period within which the investigation will be completed.
7. We will confirm the decision about the complaint in writing immediately after completing our investigation.
8. Proper and comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received.
9. If patients are not satisfied with the result of our procedure then a complaint may be made to:

• Dental Complaints Service, Stephenson House, 2 Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon CR0 6BA

(Telephone: 08456 120 540) for complaints about private treatment

• The General Dental Council, 37 Wimpole Street, London, W1M 8DQ (Telephone: 0845 222 4141), the dentists’ regulatory body for complaints about professional misconduct.

We hope that you will be satisfied with the dental care and service which we will provide for you.