If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the dentist or any of the staff
working at this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure for dealing with
complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.
How to complain
We hope that most problems can be resolved easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the
person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out this way and you wish to make a complaint, we will
respond to your complaint within three working days, enabling us to establish what happened more easily. If
it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint within 12 months of the incident that
caused the problem.
Complaints should be addressed to Mrs Dena Gardner – Practice Manager. You may ask for an appointment
in order to discuss your concerns. We will explain the complaints procedure to you and will ensure that your
concerns are dealt with promptly. It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.
What shall we do:
We shall acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aim to investigate your complaint within
28 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 the people involved. When we investigate your complaint, we shall aim to:
- Find out what happened and what went wrong
- Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this
- Make sure you receive an apology where this is appropriate
- Identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again
Should a patient make a complaint or claim, we may need to provide information about the patient, and
treatment they have received, to insurers, indemnifiers or legal advisers.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of clinical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of
someone else, we must know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned
will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of physical and mental illness) of providing this.
Should you wish to make a direct complaint please contact:
Dental Complaints Service
37 Wimpole Street,
London
W1G 8DQ
Telephone: 020 8253 0800
www.dcs.gdc-uk.org
(Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm)
