Complaints Policy and Procedure

We take complaints very seriously at Durban Dental Centre 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.

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the dentist or 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.

We hope that most problems can be resolved easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out this way and you wish to make a complaint, we will respond to your complaint within three working days, enabling us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem.

Complaints should be addressed to our Practice Manager.  You may ask for an appointment in order to discuss your concerns. We will explain the complaints procedure to you and 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:

Complaints made to the practice

• The person responsible for dealing with any complaints about the service is our Practice Manager.
• 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 our Practice Manager. 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 our Practice Manager.
• If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges it will normally be referred to the dentist, unless the patient does not want this to happen.
• We will acknowledge the patient’s complaint 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 compliant received
• Proper and comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received.
• Durban Dental Centre 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.

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.

Complaining to the Local Integrated Care Board (ICB) formerly NHS England

We hope that if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice. This does not affect your right to approach the ICB if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation.

Should you wish to make a direct complaint to the ICB or other external body please contact:

Sussex Health & Care
NHS Sussex,
Wicker House,
High Street,
Worthing
BN11 1DJ
Tel: 0800 433 4545,
Email: sxicb.contactus@nhs.net

Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Telephone: 0345 15 4033
Email: www.ombudsman.org.uk

Dental Complaints Service
37 Wimpole Street
London
W1G 8DQ
Telephone: 0845 222 4141 or 020 7887 3800

General Dental Council
37 Wimpole Street
London
W1G DQ
Telephone: 0845 222 4141 or 020 7887 3800
Email: www.gdc-uk.org