Complaint Procedure

In this practice we take complaints very seriously and try to ensure that all our patients are pleased with their experience of our service. We learn from every mistake that we make and we try to respond to customers’ concerns in a caring and sensitive way.

If you wish to make a complaint, you have the choice to complain directly to us, or directly to the NHS Customer Complaints Centre (CCC):

By post: NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT

By email: england.contactus@nhs.net

By telephone: 0300 311 22 33

  1. The person responsible for dealing with any complaint about the service that we provide is Louise (Complaints Manager). If you are not comfortable contacting Louise, please speak to any member of staff who will pass your concern to one of the dentists.
  2. If a patient complains on the telephone or at the reception desk, we will listen to their complaint and offer to refer him or her to Louise immediately. If Louise is not available at the time, then the patient will be told when they will be able to talk to Louise or the Dentist and arrangements will be made for this to happen. 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 else to deal with it.
  3. If a patient complains in writing, the letter or email will be passed on to Louise.
  4. If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or the associated charges it will normally be referred to the dentist involved, 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 three working days. We will seek to investigate the complaint within ten working days of receipt to give an explanation of the circumstances that 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 ten working days we will notify the patient, giving reasons for the delay and a likely period within which the investigation will be completed.
  6. We will confirm the decision about the complaint in writing immediately after completing our investigation. Proper and comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received.
  7. If a patient is not satisfied with the result of our procedure then a complaint may be made to: