Complaints Policy

1. The person responsible for dealing with any complaint about the service we provide is our Complaints Lead (TODO(client): name and role).
2. If a patient complains on the telephone or at the reception desk, we will listen to their complaint and offer to refer them to our Complaints Lead. If they are not available at the time, the patient will be offered an appointment with a senior member of the team. They will take brief details of the complaint and pass them on. If the patient does not wish to wait, arrangements will be made for the Complaints Lead to contact the patient.
3. If the patient complains in writing, the letter will be passed on immediately to the Complaints Lead.
4. 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.
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 two working days. We will seek to investigate the complaint within ten working days of the complaint being received to give an explanation of the circumstances which led to the complaint.
6. In investigating your complaint, we shall aim to:
   • find out what happened and what went wrong;
   • enable you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this;
   • ensure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate;
   • identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.
7. If the patient does not wish to meet us, then we will attempt to talk to him or her 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.
8. We will confirm the decision about the complaint in writing to the patient immediately after completing our investigation.
9. Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of confidentiality. If the patient is complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that they have the permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable of providing this because of physical or mental illness or are a child under 16 years.
10. Proper and comprehensive reports are kept of any complaint received.
11. We hope that, if the patient has a problem, they will make use of our practice complaints procedure.

If your complaint relates to NHS-commissioned treatment, this can be raised directly with the practice, or with NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, who commission NHS dental services locally. We believe raising concerns directly gives the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice.

However, if the patient feels they cannot raise their complaint with us, or they are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation, they may wish to seek further advice from the organisations listed below.

If you would like support with raising a concern, Healthwatch Gloucestershire is available. Their team can provide you with free, independent, and confidential information and support.