Complaints Policy

Dental Centre Bournemouth

We try to ensure that all our patients are pleased with their experience of our services. We welcome feedback from patients and take any complaints seriously. We aim to deal with all complaints courteously and efficiently so that they can be resolved as quickly as possible.

Our complaints procedure outlines how we deal with any concerns or complaints.

The person responsible for handling complaints at the practice is Donna Cobb.

How to Complain

We hope that most issues can be resolved easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person involved. If your issue cannot be resolved in this way and you wish to make a complaint, you may do so verbally by speaking to one of our team members, who will direct you to our complaints lead, or you may write to us via letter or email.

Complaints Made Verbally

If you wish to make a complaint over the phone or in person, we will listen and offer to refer you to our complaints lead. If they are unavailable, a staff member will take your details along with a brief summary of the issue to pass on. Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days.

Complaints Made via Email or Letter

All written complaints (by email or letter) will be passed immediately to our complaints lead. Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days.

Investigations

We will contact you to discuss your complaint, unless it is resolved immediately. Any complaints involving clinical care will be referred to the treating dentist unless you request otherwise.

We will investigate your complaint and aim to respond within 10 working days. If a resolution cannot be reached within that time, we will inform you and provide an updated timescale.

Once a decision has been reached, we will contact you using your preferred method of communication.

Please note that if a complaint relates to clinical care or is complex, we may need to seek advice from our insurers, indemnifiers, or legal advisors, and some of your information may need to be shared for this purpose.

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

We strictly adhere to rules of clinical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we require their written permission. A signed note from the patient will be needed unless they are unable to provide this due to physical or mental illness.

Time Limits for Raising Complaints

Complaints should be made within 12 months of the incident or the date you first became aware of the problem.

Complaints to External Bodies

We hope you will use our complaints procedure, which we believe gives us the best chance to resolve any issues and improve our service. However, if you feel unable to raise your complaint with us, or are dissatisfied with our response, you may contact an external body.

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

Please note the CQC does not investigate individual complaints but welcomes feedback.
Give Feedback to the CQC
Telephone: 03000 616161 (Mon–Fri, 8:30am – 5:30pm, excluding bank holidays)

NHS Treatment – Contacting Your ICB

If your treatment was NHS-funded and you prefer not to contact the practice, you may raise your concerns with your local Integrated Care Board (ICB).
<Please follow THIS LINK to find your local ICB contact details and update this section accordingly.>

Note: The ICB cannot re-investigate complaints already raised with the practice.

Escalating a Complaint

If you are unhappy with the outcome from the practice or the ICB, you may contact:

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Telephone: 0345 015 4033
Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk

Private Patients – Dental Complaints Service

Handles complaints made by private dental patients.
Telephone: 0208 253 0800 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm)
Website: dcs.gdc-uk.org

General Dental Council (GDC)

Telephone: 0854 222 4141 or 0207 887 3800
Website: GDC Complaints Process