COMPLAINTS HANDLING POLICY – NHS TREATMENTS
CODE OF PRACTICE FOR PATIENT COMPLAINTS
At The Village Dental Practice we take complaints very seriously and try to ensure that all of our patients are pleased with their experience of our service. When patients complain, they are dealt with courteously and promptly so that the matter is resolved as quickly as possible.
This policy has been developed in line with the nationally recognised framework, Making a Complaint about Dental Services: Six Principles of Good Complaint Handling, and reflects current guidance from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the General Dental Council (GDC). The following principles set out what patients can expect if they wish to provide feedback or raise a concern:
1. All of your feedback is important to us
• All feedback is welcomed – what we did well, what we could do better, or any other comments.
• We use feedback to help us improve, and we will show you how we have learned from it.
• You can use our complaints procedure to give feedback. If you would prefer not to, please speak to a member of the team.
2. We want to make it easy for you to raise a concern or complain, if you need to
• Information about our complaints procedure is easy to find, without you having to ask.
• You can write to us, email us, or tell us in person.
• We will take your complaint seriously.
• Our complaints information also tells you how to raise a complaint about us with another organisation.
3. We follow a complaints procedure and keep you informed
• We will tell you who is dealing with your complaint and when to expect a response.
• We will keep you informed of the progress of your complaint, including any delays.
• You should feel confident that we are following our complaints procedure.
4. We will try to answer all of your questions and concerns
• It should be clear to you what happened, and why.
• Our response will be empathetic in tone and coordinated.
• We will deal with your complaint within the time we said we would.
5. We want you to have a positive experience of making a complaint
• You should feel we have followed a clear procedure within the time we said we would.
• You should not be treated any differently because you have complained.
• You should understand how the outcome of your complaint was reached.
• You should feel able to raise a complaint again if needed, and would recommend our procedure to others.
• You should feel we have listened to you and acted fairly.
• You should know what further help is available if you remain unhappy with how your complaint was handled.
6. Your feedback helps us to improve our service
• We learn all the time from feedback and complaints.
• We show you how your feedback and complaints are listened to and acted upon.
• All members of our dental team are committed to improving the service we provide.
Our aim is to respond to complaints in the way in which we would want a complaint about a service to be handled. We learn from every mistake that we make, and we respond to patients’ concerns in a caring and sensitive way.
Our Procedure
1. The person responsible for dealing with any complaint about the NHS service we provide is Nina Thomas, the Practice Complaints Manager. In her absence, Rachel Baines, Deputy Complaints Manager, will deal with the complaint.
2. If a patient complains by telephone or in person, we will listen to their complaint and offer to refer them to the Complaints Manager immediately. If the Complaints Manager is not available at the time, the patient will be told when they will be able to speak with her, and arrangements will be made for this to happen. The member of staff will make a written record of the complaint and provide the patient with a copy, as well as passing it on to the Complaints Manager. If we cannot arrange this within a reasonable period, or if the patient does not wish to wait to discuss the matter, arrangements will be made for someone else to deal with it.
3. If the patient complains in writing or by e-mail, it will be passed on immediately to the Complaints Manager.
4. If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges, it will normally be referred to the dentist concerned, unless the patient does not want this to happen.
5. We will acknowledge the patient’s complaint in writing within 3 working days and enclose a copy of this code of practice. We will offer to discuss the complaint at a time agreed with the patient, and ask how they would like to be kept informed – for example by telephone, face-to-face meeting, letter or e-mail. We will explain how the complaint will be handled and the likely time the investigation will take. If the patient does not wish to discuss the complaint, we will still confirm the expected timescale for completing the process.
6. We will investigate the complaint speedily and efficiently, keeping the patient regularly informed, as far as is reasonably practicable, of the progress of the investigation. Investigations will normally be completed within 6 months, in line with the NHS complaints regulations. If we are unable to meet this timescale, we will notify the patient, giving reasons for the delay and a likely date for completion.
7. When our investigation is complete, we will provide the patient with a full written report. This will explain how the complaint was considered, the conclusions reached on each specific part of it, details of any remedial action, and whether the practice is satisfied with the action already taken or proposed as a result of the complaint.
Proper Records
Proper and comprehensive records are kept of every complaint received, together with any actions taken to improve services as a result.
Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else
We keep strictly to the rules of clinical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must have their consent to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable – due to physical or mental illness – of providing this.
Sharing Information
Should a patient make a complaint or claim, we may need to share information about the patient and the treatment they have received with our insurers, indemnifiers, or legal advisers.
No Adverse Treatment
The Village Dental Practice welcomes all complaints. No patient who makes a complaint will be treated any less favourably as a result of having complained.
If You Remain Unhappy
If a patient is not satisfied with the result of our procedure, or does not wish to raise the matter with us directly, a complaint may be referred to:
• NHS Cheshire and Merseyside – Patient Experience Team No 1 Lakeside, 920 Centre Park Square, Warrington, WA1 1QY Telephone: 0800 132 996 | Email: enquiries@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk
• Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP Telephone: 0345 15 4033 | Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
• General Dental Council 37 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 8DQ Telephone: 0845 222 4141 or 020 7887 3800 | Website: www.gdc-uk.org
• Care Quality Commission (CQC) Telephone: 03000 616161 | Website: www.cqc.org.uk
Approved By: Nina Thomas, Complaints Manager
Date Published: 31/07/2026