We are committed to providing high quality care for all and will ensure that our patients and their representatives can seek advice, provide feedback or make a complaint about any aspect of our service. This policy describes how we receive, manage, respond to and learn from complaints made about our service. All members of the team are expected to understand and follow this policy when dealing with a patient complaint.

The key aspects of this policy are that:

• Our patients know how to complain and are confident that we will take their complaint seriously

• We will investigate all complaints and will keep the patient informed of the findings of our investigation

• We will learn from any complaints, concerns and feedback that we receive and use these lessons to improve our service.

Information for patients

We believe that if a patient wishes to make a complaint or register a concern about any aspect of our service, they should find it easy to do so. Our code of practice for patient complaints, encourages patients to let us know when our service has not met their expectations and explains how we will investigate their complaint and keep them informed.

Practice complaints process

1. Responsible person:

The designated individual responsible for handling complaints about our service is Jayne Fitzgerald.

2. Complaints in Person or by phone:

• If a patient raises a complaint at reception or over the phone, we will listen attentively and offer an immediate referral to Jayne Fitzgerald.

• If she is unavailable, we will inform the patient of her availability and arrange a suitable time for discussion.

• A staff member will record brief details of the complaint and pass them on.

• If an immediate arrangement cannot be made or the patient prefers not to wait, another appropriate person will handle the complaint.

3. Complaints in online, via email or in writing:

• Complain online;

Patient form https://forms.gle/n6SKQucrbdd3wmHt6

Patient representative form https://forms.gle/jU3UMoDE4KCZfuoN7

• Patients may also submit complaints via email; woodlands.dental1@nhs.net

• Written complaints will be promptly forwarded to Jayne Fitzgerald.

4. Acknowledgment of complaints:

• Complaints will be acknowledged in writing as soon as possible, normally within three working days, along with a copy of this policy.

• Patients who do not receive an acknowledgment within 48 hours should contact us by phone to confirm receipt.

5. Clinical Care or charges complaints:

Complaints related to clinical care or associated charges will typically be referred to the dentist, unless the patient requests otherwise.

6. Investigation Process:

• We will aim to investigate complaints timely manner

• If the patient prefers not to meet in person, we will attempt to discuss the matter over the phone.

• If the investigation takes longer than expected, we will notify the patient and provide reasons for the delay.

7. Resolution & Communication:

Once the investigation is complete, we will confirm the decision about the complaint in writing to the patient immediately

8. Record Keeping:

Comprehensive records of all complaints are kept securely and not with the individuals clinical record. We review these records regularly to ensure that we recognise our mistakes and take every opportunity to improve our service.

9. Learning from complaints

As soon as possible after a complaint has been dealt with, we will ensure that those involved are given individual feedback. Where our investigations identify a need to improve or review our practice systems, we will encourage general discussion at practice meetings and seek suggestions for improvement. Any agreed changes will be kept under review.

We will undertake ongoing monitoring of all complaints to identify trends and assess training

10. If patients are not satisfied with the result of our procedure then a complaint may be made to:

NHS dental treatment

The Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, London, SW1 4QP

(0345 015 4033 or www.ombudsman.org.uk).

For complaints about private treatment

Dental Complaints Service, 37 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8DQ

(020 8253 0800 or online at contactus.gdc-uk.org/dcs/Complaint/PrivatePatients).

Private dental treatment through a dental plan, please contact your plan provider.

Data complaints

For data complaints The Information Commissioners Office online reporting tool: www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

We welcome feedback and complaints, and we want to understand your experience in your own words.

We are committed to handling complaints fairly, openly and compassionately, in line with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s NHS Complaint Standards.

Some people choose to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to help write complaints or emails. We understand that these tools can be helpful in organising thoughts or expressing concerns. However, AI-generated text can sometimes:

• include information that is inaccurate or not relevant;

• use overly formal or legal language;

• make complaints longer or more complex than necessary; or

• make it harder for us to clearly understand your personal experience.

This can occasionally delay our review or mean we need to contact you to clarify the details before we can respond fully.

The most helpful complaints are usually clear and concise, and explain:

• what happened;

• when it happened;

• how it affected you; and

• what you would like us to do to resolve the matter.

A short explanation in your own words is often more helpful than a long or highly formal letter.

If you choose to use AI tools, we recommend that you:

• check the wording carefully to ensure it reflects your own experience;

• remove any information that is inaccurate or not relevant; and

• take care when including sensitive personal information.

Please be aware that some AI tools may store or use information entered into them.

For further guidance on using AI to support a complaint, you may find this resource from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman helpful: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/making-complaint/using-ai-help-write-your-complaint?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Before submitting a complaint, please review the information below, as it may answer your query or concern.

Access to NHS dental treatment

NHS dental charges

'Registration' at our practice

I have received a penalty charge from NHSBSA