COMPLAINTS
We aim to deliver excellent service. If you have suggestions on how we can improve our service we want to hear from you
Grange Dental
Our Complaints Procedure
It is our aim to always have satisfied patients, to meet your expectations of care and service and to resolve any complaints as efficiently, effectively and politely as possible.
Jackie Thwaites is our Complaints Manager. If your verbal complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction, or if you complain in writing, Jackie will acknowledge it in writing within 3 working days and will aim to provide a full written response as soon as practical. If Jackie is unavailable, we will take brief details about the complaint and will arrange for a meeting when she is next available.
GET IN TOUCH
If you are not entirely satisfied with any aspect of our care or service please let us know as soon as possible to allow us to address your concerns promptly.
FAIR TREATMENT
We will never discriminate against patients who have made a complaint.
PROTECTING YOUR DATA
We will keep comprehensive and confidential records of your complaint, which will be stored securely and only be accessible only by those who need to know about your complaint.
PROGRESS REPORTS
If the complaint investigation takes longer than anticipated the Complaints Manager will keep you informed of the reason for the delay, the progress of the investigation and the proposed date it will be completed.
OUTCOME
You will be informed of the investigation outcome in writing and invited to a meeting to discuss the results and (if appropriate) any practical solutions that we can offer to you. These solutions could include replacing treatment, refunding fees paid, referring you for specialist treatments or other solutions that meet your needs and resolve the complaint.
LESSONS LEARNED
We take complaints very seriously; we investigate them in a full and fair way and take great care to protect your confidentiality. We learn from complaints to improve our care and service.
OUR COMPLAINTS POLICY
It is the aim of this practice to ‘Have a Clear and Effective Complaints Procedure’ by meeting the GDC ‘Standards for the Dental Team’, to meet the NHS complaints requirements and deliver good practice in complaint handling.
The team is trained to resolve all complaints promptly, efficiently and politely by following our Patient Complaints Procedure (G 110C) and Complaint Management procedures (G 110).
The team responds to complaints in the time limits set by the Complaints Procedure and always provides constructive responses to complaints.
The Practice never discriminates against a patient who has made a complaint. Team members do not react defensively to a complaint but listen carefully to a patient who makes one and involves them fully in the process of managing it. The team member will make best endeavours to meet any outcomes the patient expects.
If a patient is not satisfied despite our best efforts to resolve the complaint they will be informed about other avenues that are open to them such as the GDC Dental Complaints Service and the NHS Ombudsman.
The team are regularly trained in complaint handling and are involved in the regular review of complaints, complaints procedures and management through iCOMPLY so that services, policies and procedures can be continually improved.
If you would like a printed copy of our Practice Complaints Policy and/or Procedure, please do get in touch.
Grange Dental
Escalating Complaints
We work hard to deliver excellent care, and would always like the opportunity to address any concerns with you personally, so please do get in touch with us first if you’d like to discuss any aspect of your care or treatment. If you do not feel you can raise a complaint directly with us, then you may use one of the following escalation channels.
NHS COMPLAINTS
If you do not feel you can raise a complaint about your NHS service directly with us, you can address your complaint directly to NHS England at england.contactus@nhs.net with ‘For the attention of the complaints team’ in the subject line.
NHS COMPLAINT ESCALATION
If you are still unhappy about your NHS complaint, you can contact the Parliamentary Health Ombudsman by calling 0345 015 4033 or visiting www.ombudsman.org.uk. You can also contact The Care Quality Commission (CQC) who regulates private and NHS dental care services in England by calling 03000 616161, who may be able to help. They can take action against a service provider that is not meeting their standards The General Dental Council is responsible for regulating all dental professionals. You can complain using their online form at www.gdc-uk.org contact them on information@gdc-org.uk or by calling 020 7167 6000.
PRIVATE COMPLAINT ESCALATION
You can contact the GDC private dental complaints service within 12 months of the treatment or within 12 months of becoming aware of the issue by calling 020 8253 0800 or visiting www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk The General Dental Council is responsible for regulating all dental professionals. You can complain using their online form at www.gdc-uk.org contact them on information@gdc-org.uk or by calling 020 7167 6000.