LCIAD Code of Practice for Handling Complaints
Our first objective, first and foremost, is to try and ensure that you have nothing to complain about when you attend LCIAD. However, even with the best of intentions, we understand that sometimes you need to bring something to our attention that is important to you.
In this practice we take complaints very seriously indeed and try to ensure that all 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 procedure is based on these objectives.
Complaints made to the practice.
1. The person responsible for dealing with any complaints about the service is the Practice manager Zoe Harmer.
2. If you have a complaint on the telephone or at the reception desk, we will listen to your complaint and offer to refer you to speak with Zoe Harmer. The member of staff with whom you are communicating will take brief details of the complaint and pass them on. If we cannot arrange this within a reasonable period or if you do not wish to wait to discuss the matter, arrangements will be made for another member of management or the Clinical Director, Dr Koray Feran to address the complaint.
3. If you complain in writing, the letter or email will be passed on immediately to Zoe Harmer.
4. If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges it will normally be referred to the dental surgeon responsible for your care, unless you do not want this to happen. In this case you will be referred to the Clinical Director, Dr Koray Feran.
5. We will acknowledge your complaint together with a copy of this Code of Practice within three working days. You will be invited to discuss your concerns; we will seek to investigate the complaint within the agreed response period of the complaint being received to explain the circumstances which led to the complaint. If we are unable to investigate the complaint within the agreed time, we will notify you in writing, giving reasons for the delay and a likely period within which the investigation will be completed.
6. We will confirm the decision about your complaint in writing immediately after completing our investigation. This will be within 14 days of the complaint being received.
7. Proper and comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received.
8. The dental practice welcomes all complaints as we see each one as another step towards being able to provide the best service. We therefore encourage complaints that bring to our attention any failures or shortcomings in our system that we can rectify. Any patient that makes a complaint will not be adversely treated in any way due to having complained, indeed we would normally thank you for bringing issues to our attention.
9. If you do not wish to complain directly to the Practice you can address your complaint directly to one of the following – however they will normally ask you to first of all contact the practice to complain directly so that the issue can be addressed locally first:
Dental Complaints Service
37 Wimpole Street
Marylebone
London
W1G 8DQ
www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk
020 8253 0800
(Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm)
Or
General Dental Council
37 Wimpole Street
Marylebone
London
W1G 8DQ
www.gdc-uk.org
020 7167 6000