This practice operates a complaints procedure as part of its dealing with patients’ complaints which complies with the Care Quality Commission requirements.

 A copy of the complaints process can be seen in the Patient Handbook located in both waiting rooms.

If you have a concern or complaint about the service you have received from the dentists or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure that adheres to national criteria. James Judge is the responsible person who ensures compliance with Complaint Regulations and ensures appropriate action is taken following investigation of a complaint. 

All complaints will be dealt with in line with our confidentiality agreement - complaints will be discussed firstly with Sandra Collins Practice Director and James Judge Practice Manager

How to Complain

Should a problem arise, it can usually be sorted out quickly and easily 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. This will enable us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:

• within 6 months from the date of treatment; or
• within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem.

Complaints should be addressed to James Judge – Practice Manager in writing, this can be via letter or email:  JamesJudge@knutsforddentalpractice.co.uk

The complaints procedure will be explained to you, and we will ensure that your concerns will be dealt with promptly.  It would be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.

We will try, wherever possible, to:

• Acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days
• Give you a timescale as to when you can expect a reply, this will normally be as soon as possible after completing an investigation into your complaint
• Find out what happened and what, if anything, went wrong
• Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you wish
• Make sure you receive an explanation and an apology where this is appropriate
• Identify what we can do to make sure that the problem does not happen again.

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

Please note that we adhere strictly to the rules of confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must know that you have permission to do so. We will require written consent giving this permission unless they are incapable (because of physical or mental illness) of providing this. In this case we may ask for information to show you have authority to act on someone else’s behalf.

Complaining to Dental Complaints Service

We hope that if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe that this will provide the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and be an opportunity to improve our practice. However, you still have the right to approach the NHS Area Team, The Dental Complaints Service or Denplan, depending on whether you are an NHS, Private or Denplan patient, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or if you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation. You should contact the relevant complaints manager for further advice. The addresses are as follows:

NHS Complaints

NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT

Email: england.contactus@nhs.net

Tel: 0300 311 22 33 (8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, except Wednesdays 9.30am – 6pm)

Private Patient Complaints

The Dental Complaints Service, Stephenson House, 2 Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon, CR0 6BA

020 82530 800 at local rate (Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm)

www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk

Denplan Complaints

Denplan Complaints Handling and Risk Management, Denplan, Denplan Court, Victoria Road, Winchester, Hants, SO23 7RG

01962 828000

www.denplan.co.uk

If you are still unhappy after an attempt at resolution by Knutsford Dental or one of the above organisations, then you may request a review of your complaint by the Ombudsman (Health Service Commissioner)

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP

0345 015 4033

www.ombudsman.org.uk

Help us to get it right – We constantly try to improve the service we offer, so we will encourage patients to let us know when we have done something well or if there are any suggestions as to how we can do something better, comments cards are available on reception or on our website.