Complaints policy & procedure
A complaint is defined as any expression of dissatisfaction, irrespective of how it is expressed. This would include complaints expressed face to face, via a phone call, in writing, via email or any other method. All staff should have sufficient knowledge to be able to identify an “expression of dissatisfaction” even when the word “complain” or “complaint” is not used.
At Dulwich Orthodontic Centre, we aim to ensure that all our patients are pleased with their experience of our services. We welcome feedback from patients and take every complaint 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 complaints. The person responsible for dealing with any complaints in the practice is our Complaint Manager Michaela Hitchens.
We recognise that many concerns will be raised informally, and dealt with quickly.
We aim to:
- resolve informal concerns quickly
- be courteously and efficiently for a quick resolution
- keep matters low-key
- enable mediation between the complainant and the individual to whom the complaint has been referred
This policy provides guidelines for dealing with complaints from patients about our services, facilities, staff and volunteers.
How to Complain
We hope that most issues can be resolved easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your issues cannot be sorted out this way and you wish to make a complaint, you can do so verbally on the telephone or by speaking to one of our team members, who will direct you to our complaints lead, or you can write to us by letter or email.
Dulwich Orthodontic Centre’s responsibility will be to:
- acknowledge the formal complaint in writing;
- respond within a stated period of time;
- deal reasonably and sensitively with the complaint; and
- take action where appropriate.
The complainant's responsibility is to:
- bring their complaint to Dulwich Orthodontic Centre’s attention normally within 8 weeks of the issue arising;
- raise concerns promptly and directly with a member of staff Dulwich Orthodontic Centre explain the problem as clearly and as fully as possible, including any action taken to date;
- allow Dulwich Orthodontic Centre a reasonable time to deal with the matter, and
- recognise that some circumstances may be beyond Dulwich Orthodontic Centre’s control.
Verbal Complaints
If you wish to make a complaint in person or over the phone on 020 8265 9797, we will listen to your complaint and try to find resolution. If, however this was not possible at the time, we will refer you to our Complaint Manager Michaela Hitchens or the Practice Co-ordinator Michelle Ketchen. If they are not available, the member of staff will take your details and a brief note of your complaints to pass on to them. Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days.
Written Complaints
To complain in writing you can write to us at 82 Park Hall Road London SE21 8BW or email complaints@dulwichorthodontics.co.uk. Any complain received in writing either by letter or email, will be passed on to our Complaint Manager. Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days.
Investigations
We will contact you to discuss your complaint to see if it can be resolved easily. Any complaints involving clinical care will be referred to the clinician treating you, unless you request this not to happen.
We will then investigate your complaint and will aim to have a response for you within 10 working days. If it is not possible to resolve this within that timeframe, we will inform you and let you know when it is likely to be resolved.
Once we have made a decision regarding your complaint we will inform you by your preferred contact method.
It is possible that if the complaint is regarding clinical care or if it is complex, we may need to seek advice from our insurers, indemnifiers or legal advisors and, therefore, may need to share some of your information for this purpose.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
Please note that we aim strictly adhere 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 not capable (because of physical and mental illness) of providing this.
Time Limits for Opening Complaints
Complaints should be made within 12 months of the incident or when the complainants first discovered the problem.
Complaints to External Bodies
We hope that if you have a concern, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our services. This does not affect your right to approach the Integrated Care Board (ICB), if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation.
Please follow THIS LINK Find your local integrated care board (ICB) - NHS to find your local ICB contact details and enter the data here
The CQC: The CQC don't get involved with complaints made to the practice. They do, however, encourage giving feedback on service providers.
To send feedback to the CQC please go to: https://www.cqc.org.uk/give-feedback-on-care
Telephone: 03000 616161 (Mon to Fri, 8.30am - 5.30pm Excluding Bank Holidays)
The NHS: If you would rather not go directly to your practice and your treatment is provided by the NHS, you can contact your ICB, which is responsible for NHS dental services.
However, the ICB cannot re-investigate a complaint already made to the practice. So if you are unhappy with how the practice or the ICB handled the complaint, you should contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Telephone: 0345 015 4033 Website: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk
Private Patients: The Dental Complaints Service handles complaints made by private patients.
Telephone: 0208 253 0800 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)
The General Dental Council (GDC)
Telephone: 0854 222 4141 or 0207 887 3800
Website: https://contactus.gdc-uk.org/Complaint/Process/13