Complaints and cancellations policies
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. We take complaints very seriously. We investigate any complaints in a full and fair way, and take great care to protect your confidentiality.
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. We will never discriminate against patients who have made a complaint.
Cancellations
If you need to cancel an appointment, please give us 48 business hours’ notice so that we can offer the time to someone waiting for treatment. We may have to charge for short-notice cancellations or missed appointments.
Complaints
Please address all complaints to the business manager. If we cannot resolve your complaint immediately it will be acknowledged in writing within three working days. We aim to provide a full response within 10 working days.
If the business manager is unavailable, we will take details about the complaint and ensure that you will speak to a suitable team member as soon as possible. We will keep comprehensive and confidential records of your complaint, which will be stored securely. Only those persons who need to know about your complaint are informed about it and can access it.
In the case of an investigation
Should the complaint need to be investigated, this may involve the person who treated you, members of the team or others. In some cases, the investigation may take longer than 10 working days, in which case you will be informed about the reason for the delay, the progress of the investigation and the proposed date it will be completed.
When the investigation has been completed, you will be informed of its outcome in writing and invited to a meeting to discuss the results and 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.
We regularly analyse patient complaints to learn from them and to improve our services. That’s why we always welcome your feedback, comments, suggestions and complaints. If you are dissatisfied with our response to a complaint you can take it further, please see the contacts below.
Contacts
You can contact the GDC private dental complaints service by calling 0845 612 0540 or visiting www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk
You can contact the Care Quality Commission by calling 03000 61 61 61 or visit www.CQC.org.uk
The General Dental Council is responsible for regulating all dental professionals, you can contact them on information@GDC-org.uk or by calling 0845 222 4141.