Complaints Procedure

We 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 them in a full and fair way and take great care to protect your confidentiality. We learn from complaints to improve our care and service. We will never discriminate against patients who have made a complaint.

If you are not completely satisfied with any aspect of our care or service, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can resolve your concerns promptly. You can reach us at:

St Andrews Dental Practice

17a High Street, Biggleswade

Bedfordshire

SG18 0JE

Email: standrewsdentalpractice@gmail.com

If you do not feel you can raise a complaint about your NHS service directly with us, you can address your complaint directly to england.contactus@nhs.net with ‘For the attention of the complaints team’ in the subject line. You can find out more information about the NHS complaints process, what to expect from it, and other ways to give feedback on the NHS website.

The Practice Manager is the Complaints Manager and will be your personal contact to assist you with any complaints.

If your verbal complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction within 24 hours or if you complain in writing, the Complaints Manager will acknowledge it in writing within 3 working days and will aim to provide a full response in writing within 10 working days.

If the Complaints Manager is unavailable, we will take brief details about the complaint and will arrange for a meeting when the person is next available. We will keep comprehensive and confidential records of your complaint, which will be stored securely and will be accessible only by those who need to know about your complaint.

If the complaint investigation takes longer than anticipated, the Complaints Manager will keep you informed of 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 treatment, 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

For private dental treatment, you can contact the GDC private dental complaints service within 12 months of the treatment or within 12 months of becoming aware of the issue by calling 020 8253 0800 or visiting www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk

If you are still unhappy about your NHS complaint, you can contact the Parliamentary Health Ombudsman (England) by calling 0345 015 4033 or visiting www.ombudsman.org.uk

You can also contact The Care Quality Commission (CQC), which regulates private and NHS dental care services in England by calling 03000 616161. They can take action against a service provider that is not meeting its standards.

The General Dental Council is responsible for regulating all dental professionals. You can complain using their online form at www.gdc-uk.org, contact them at information@gdc-org.uk, or by calling 020 7167 6000.