Complaints Policy
Bourne Valley Dental Clinic always has patient care at the heart of everything we do. If you have any suggestions, we would welcome these at info@tidworthdental.co.uk.
If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the dentists or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure. Our complaint system adheres to national criteria.
Bourne Valley Dental Clinic takes complaints very seriously and tries to ensure that all 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 procedure is based on these objectives.
Our aim is to react 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
- The person responsible for dealing with any complaint about the service which we provide is our Practice Manager, Victoria Maloney.
- If a patient complains on the telephone or at the reception desk, we will listen to their complaint and offer to refer him or her to the Practice Manager immediately. If the Practice Manager is not available at the time, then the patient will be told when they will be able to talk to her and arrangements will be made. The member of staff will take brief details of the complaint and pass them on. 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.
- If the patient complains in writing, the letter or email will be passed on immediately to the Practice Manager.
- If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges, it will normally be referred to the dentist, unless the patient does not want this to happen.
- We will acknowledge the patient's complaint in writing and enclose a copy of this Code of Practice as soon as possible, normally within 2 working days.
- We will seek to investigate the complaint within 10 working days of receipt to give an explanation of the circumstances which led to the complaint. If the patient does not wish to meet us, then we will attempt to talk to them on the telephone. If we are unable to investigate the complaint within 10 working days, we will notify the patient, giving reasons for the delay and a likely period within which the investigation will be completed.
- We will confirm the decision about the complaint in writing immediately after completing our investigation.
- Proper and comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received in our Complaints File.
If patients are not satisfied with the result of our procedure, a complaint may be made to the organisations listed below.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable of providing this because of physical or mental illness, or are a child under 16 years.
If your treatment was provided on the NHS
You may complain to us directly, as set out above, or to the organisation that commissions NHS dental services in this area:
NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BSW ICB)
Patient Advice and Liaison Service Telephone: 08000 851067
Email: somicb.pals@nhs.net
A complaint should normally be made within twelve months of the event, or of the point at which you became aware of it, although this time limit can be extended where there is good reason.
If you remain unhappy once the NHS complaints process has been completed, you can ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review your case:
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Telephone: 0345 015 4033
Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
If your treatment was provided privately
Dental Complaints Service
Fifty Paddington, 50 Eastbourne Terrace, London W2 6LG
Telephone: 020 8253 0800 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
Website: dcs.gdc-uk.org
Concerns about a dental professional
The General Dental Council is the body that regulates dentists and dental care professionals in the UK.
General Dental Council
37 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8DQ
Telephone: 020 7167 6000
Website: gdc-uk.org
How to contact us
Bourne Valley Dental Clinic
Beacon House, Station Road, Tidworth, SP9 7NN
Telephone: 01283 735777
Email: info@tidworthdental.co.uk
Bourne Valley Dental Clinic always has patient care at the heart of everything we do. If you have any suggestions, we would welcome these at info@tidworthdental.co.uk.
If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the dentists or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure. Our complaint system adheres to national criteria.
Bourne Valley Dental Clinic takes complaints very seriously and tries to ensure that all 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 procedure is based on these objectives.
Our aim is to react 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
- The person responsible for dealing with any complaint about the service which we provide is our Practice Manager, Victoria Maloney.
- If a patient complains on the telephone or at the reception desk, we will listen to their complaint and offer to refer him or her to the Practice Manager immediately. If the Practice Manager is not available at the time, then the patient will be told when they will be able to talk to her and arrangements will be made. The member of staff will take brief details of the complaint and pass them on. 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.
- If the patient complains in writing, the letter or email will be passed on immediately to the Practice Manager.
- If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges, it will normally be referred to the dentist, unless the patient does not want this to happen.
- We will acknowledge the patient's complaint in writing and enclose a copy of this Code of Practice as soon as possible, normally within 2 working days.
- We will seek to investigate the complaint within 10 working days of receipt to give an explanation of the circumstances which led to the complaint. If the patient does not wish to meet us, then we will attempt to talk to them on the telephone. If we are unable to investigate the complaint within 10 working days, we will notify the patient, giving reasons for the delay and a likely period within which the investigation will be completed.
- We will confirm the decision about the complaint in writing immediately after completing our investigation.
- Proper and comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received in our Complaints File.
If patients are not satisfied with the result of our procedure, a complaint may be made to the organisations listed below.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable of providing this because of physical or mental illness, or are a child under 16 years.
If your treatment was provided on the NHS
You may complain to us directly, as set out above, or to the organisation that commissions NHS dental services in this area:
NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BSW ICB)
Patient Advice and Liaison Service Telephone: 08000 851067
Email: somicb.pals@nhs.net
A complaint should normally be made within twelve months of the event, or of the point at which you became aware of it, although this time limit can be extended where there is good reason.
If you remain unhappy once the NHS complaints process has been completed, you can ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review your case:
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Telephone: 0345 015 4033
Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
If your treatment was provided privately
Dental Complaints Service
Fifty Paddington, 50 Eastbourne Terrace, London W2 6LG
Telephone: 020 8253 0800 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
Website: dcs.gdc-uk.org
Concerns about a dental professional
The General Dental Council is the body that regulates dentists and dental care professionals in the UK.
General Dental Council
37 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8DQ
Telephone: 020 7167 6000
Website: gdc-uk.org
How to contact us
Bourne Valley Dental Clinic
Beacon House, Station Road, Tidworth, SP9 7NN
Telephone: 01283 735777
Email: info@tidworthdental.co.uk