Complaints Policy

 

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from any of the staff working at this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.

How to complain:

Once you have expressed your complaint we will open a complaint file within 1 working day.

 

All correspondence you receive after your initial complaint will be done via email, please make sure we have your correct email address on your file.

We will respond and acknowledge your complaint officially within 3 working days, enabling us to establish what happened and how we plan to resolve the concerns.

 

To enable us to investigate and resolve issues quickly, please let us have details of your complaint within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem.

Written complaints should be addressed to Lauren Fisher – Complaints Manager.

We will arrange an appointment in order to discuss your concerns.

We will explain the complaints procedure to you and send you a copy.

We will ensure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.

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

What shall we do:

We shall acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aim to investigate your complaint within 14 working days from the date when you raised it with us.

We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved.

When we investigate your complaint, we shall aim to:

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 apology where this is appropriate

Identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again

Keep you updated if there is a delay in our normal timeframes

Should a patient make a complaint or claim, we may need to provide information about the patient, and treatment they have received, to insurers, indemnifiers or legal advisers.

 

Complaining on behalf of someone else

Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of clinical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must know that you have their permission to do so.

A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of physical and mental illness) of providing this.

 

Should you wish to make a direct complaint please contact:

Dental Complaints Service

0208 253 0800 (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm)

37 Wimpole Street

London

W1G 8DQ

 

Code of Practice for Handling Complaints

In this practice, we take complaints very seriously and try to ensure that all patients are pleased with their experience of our services. When patients complain, they are dealt with courteously and promptly so that the matter is resolved as quickly as possible. 

Complaints made to the practice

·         The person responsible for dealing with any complaints about the service is Lauren Fisher

·         If a patient complains on the telephone or at the reception desk, we will listen to his or her complaint and offer to refer him or her to Lauren Fisher. The member of staff 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 someone to deal with it. 

·         If the patient complains in writing the letter will be passed on immediately to Lauren Fisher.

·         If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges it will normally be referred to the clinician, unless the patient does not want this to happen. 

·         We will acknowledge the patient’s complaint including a copy of this Code of Practice within three working days. You will be invited to discuss your concerns; we will seek to investigate the complaint within the agreed response period of the complaint being received to explain the circumstances which led to the complaint. If we are unable to investigate the complaint within this agreed time period, we will notify the patient, giving reasons for the delay and a likely period within which the investigation will be completed. 

·         We will confirm the decision about the complaint in writing immediately after completing our investigation. This will be within 14 days of the complaint received.

·         Proper and comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received. 

·         The Composite Bonding Company welcomes all complaints; any patient that makes a complaint will not be adversely treated due to having complained. If you do not wish to complain directly to the Practice you can address your complaint directly to the relevant body.

·         Should a patient make a complaint or claim, we may need to provide information about the patient, and treatment they have received, to insurers, indemnifiers or legal advisers.