PRACTICE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the dentist or any of the staff working in the practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure.

Our complaints system adheres to national criteria.

HOW TO COMPLAIN

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible – ideally, within a matter of days or at most a week – because this enable us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of the complaint:

Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident.
Complaints should be addressed to the dentist you regularly see at 107 -109 Walsall Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0HP. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with the Practice Manager in order to discuss your concerns. She will explain the complaints procedure to you and will ensure that that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will be a great help if you are specific as possible about your complaint.

WHAT WE SHALL DO

We shall acknowledge your complaint within two working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten working days of the date when you raised it with us. We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with those involved. In investigating your complaint, we shall aim to:

Find out what happened and what went wrong

Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate

Identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.

COMPLAINING ON BEHALF OF SOMEONE ELSE

Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of physical or mental illness) of providing this.

COMPLAINING TO THE HEALTH AUTHORITY

We hope that if you have a problem you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will provide the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice. However this does not affect your right to approach the local health authority. Should you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation NHS PATIENTS should contact the following:

PALS and Complaints

Please contact via any of the methods below and we will happy to help:
Email: feedback@staffordshirecss.nhs.uk
Freephone: 0800 030 4563 (There is also a 24 hour answer phone service).
Text : 075 406 68541
Fax: 01782 298228

For PRIVATE PATIENTS who cannot raise a complaint with the practice or are unhappy with the result of the investigation please contact the General Dental Council on:

Telephone:020 8253 0800

(Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm)

Email: info@dentalcomplants.org.uk
Write to: Dental Complaints Service

Stephenson House

2 Cherry Orchard Road

Croydon CR60 6BA

Or Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman:

Visit the 'Making a complaint page'

Call the Customer Helpline on 0345 015 4033 from 8.30am to 5.30pm Mon - Fri

Text: 07624 813 005 to the 'call back service'

Dial the textphone (minicom): 0300 061 4298