Complaints Procedure
South Coast Dental Specialists take complaints very seriously and we make every effort possible to
ensure our patients receive the highest level of care and are pleased with our service. However, when
a patient feels the need to complain we expect our staff to be courteous and the complaint to be
resolved as promptly as possible. This leaflet explains the complaints procedure.
- The person initially responsible for dealing with your complaint will be your practice
manager. - If you make your complaint known over the telephone, or at the reception desk, we will
listen to your complaint and if the complaint cannot be resolved immediately we will ask
you to put your complaint in writing. - When you complain in writing, the letter will be passed to the practice manager straight
away. - If the complaint is regarding any aspect of your clinical care the complaint will be
referred to the dentist concerned. - We will acknowledge your complaint in writing and enclose a copy of this code of
practice as soon as possible. We will seek to investigate the complaint within 10
working days of the complaint being received to give an explanation of the
circumstances which led to the complaint. If we are unable to investigate the complaint
within 10 working days we will normally notify the patient, giving reason for the delay
and a likely period within which the investigation will be completed.
We will confirm the decision about the complaint in writing. Proper and comprehensive
reports are kept of all complaints received. If you are still not completely satisfied with
the way in which your complaint has been handled, you may discuss the matter with the
regulatory bodies:
Care Quality Commission General Dental Council
CQC National Customer Service Centre, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA.
Telephone: 03000 616161, Fax: 03000 616171
General Dental Council
37 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 8DQ, 0845 222 4141 (UK local rate), 020 7887 3800
www.gdc.org
