Our Policies
If a patient takes their complaint outside of the Practice and it relates to the services provided by a clinician they will need to contact their own personal indemnity insurance.
PAGE CURRENTLY BEING UPDATED (21st September 2011)
COMPLAINTS PRODEDURE
In this practice we take complaints seriously. When we receive a complaint, it is dealt with as a matter of importance.
Our aim is to react to complaints in a positve way. We use complaints as a tool to learn which areas could be addressed to avoid the same issue arising in the future.
- First point of call is the reception.
- If the receptionist is not equipped to handle the complaint she will refer the patient to the Practice Manager.
- If a patient wants to make a more official complaint, we will give the patient a ocpy of our complaints leaflet. It would be necessary to put the complaint in writing and send to our Practice Manager.
- The Practice Manager will acknowledge receipt of the complaint normally within two working days. The complaint will be investigated. If the complaint is of a clinical nature it will be passed to the clinician involved to respond.
- A response will drawn up within ten working days, If for any reason it may take longer, then we will let the patient know.
We have found that most complainants just want:
- An acknowledgement.
- An explanation.
- An apology.
- Reassurance that preventative action will be taken to ensure that there is no repetition.
If a patient is still not happy with our response they can contact:
- The Patient Advisory and Liaison Service (PALS) on (01935) 384181. This is a mediation service to try to resolve issues by working with the patient and the Practice.
- The General Dental Complaints service on 0845 120540.
- The British Dental Health Foundation Word of Mouth line on 0870 333 1188.
If a patient takes their complaint outside of the Practice and it relates to the services provided by a clinician they will need to contact their own personal indemnity insurance.
