It is our aim to always have satisfied patients, to meet your expectations of care and service and to resolve any complaints as efficiently, effectively and politely as possible. We take complaints very seriously, investigating them in a full and fair way and take great care to protect your confidentiality. We learn from complaints to improve our care and service. We will never discriminate against patients who have made a complaint and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have about this procedure.
If you are not entirely satisfied with any aspect of our care or service, please let us know as soon as possible to allow us to address your concerns promptly.
Complaints can be made in writing, via email or verbally, by the patient or by an authorised person on the patient’s behalf. Complaints should be made to the ‘Complaints Manager’, and should be clear, so that they can be dealt with efficiently.
Every complaint will receive a written/email acknowledgment within 3 working days, and the Management will strive to resolve the complaint within a quick, reasonable period (usually 10 working days). For our full complaints procedure and policy, please ask a member of our reception team. If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges it will normally be acknowledged by the Management team and then referred to the treating Dentist. Please note that in these cases, AD Dental accepts no liability on behalf of the treating Dentist and acts as a liaison between the patient and the treating Dentist, only.
You can send your complaints to Four Lane Ends, Longbenton NE77UH, call us on 0191 266 2095 or email tco.ncl@ad-dental.co.uk for our Newcastle practice, or, send your complaints to 14 Derwent Street, Blackhill, Consett County Durham, DH8 8LU, call us on 01207 503 079 or email tco.consett@ad-dental.co.uk for our Consett practice.
We regularly analyse patient complaints to learn from them and to improve our services. That’s why we always welcome your feedback, comments, suggestions and complaints. If you are dissatisfied with our response to a complaint, you can take the matter further, please see the contacts below.
Contacts
For NHS treatment
You can contact your local integrated care board (ICB), which is responsible for NHS dental services.
If you’re not happy with the way your complaint was handled – either by the dental practice or the ICB – you may wish to contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).
The PHSO makes final decisions on unresolved complaints about the NHS in England. You can call on 0345 015 4033 or use the PHSO’s online complaint form to raise your complaint (this only applies to NHS services in England).
Private Dentistry complaint
If your complaint is not resolved satisfactorily by the practice, you can contact the Dental Complaints Service (DCS). The DCS offers a mediation service between private dental patients and dental professionals. You can contact them on 020 8253 0800 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or visit their website for more information.
You can also contact
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) who regulates private and NHS dental care services in England by calling 03000 616161. They can take action against a service provider that is not meeting their standards.
The General Dental Council is responsible for regulating all dental professionals. You can complain using their online form at www.gdc-uk.org contact them on information@gdc-org.uk or by calling 020 7167 6000.
