At Dalkeith House Dental Practice we are committed to providing high-quality dental care to all our patients. We take feedback and complaints seriously and view them as an opportunity to learn, improve our services, and maintain trust and transparency with our patients.
We aim to handle all complaints courteously, efficiently, and promptly so that concerns can be resolved as quickly as possible.
The person responsible for handling all complaints in the practice is Katie Bray
How to Make a Complaint
We hope that most issues can be resolved quickly and informally, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned.
If your concern cannot be resolved this way, or you would prefer to make a formal complaint, you may do so verbally, in writing, or by email.
Complaints Made Verbally
If you make a complaint in person or by telephone:
We will listen to your concerns and, where possible, attempt to resolve them immediately.
If the Complaints Lead is not available, a team member will record your details and a brief description of your complaint.
Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days, and arrangements will be made for the Complaints Lead to contact you directly.
Complaints Made in Writing or by Email
Written and emailed complaints will be passed immediately to the Complaints Lead, who will acknowledge receipt within 3 working days of receiving your correspondence.
Investigation and Response
We will make every effort to resolve your complaint within 10 working days of acknowledgment.
If the investigation is likely to take longer (for example, where clinical advice is required), we will inform you of the reason for the delay and agree on an updated timescale with you.
If your complaint involves clinical care or treatment, the matter will usually be referred to the treating dentist, unless you specifically request otherwise.
Once our investigation is complete, we will contact you via your preferred method (letter, email, or telephone) to share our findings and any actions taken.
Where necessary, we may seek advice from our indemnity provider, insurer, or legal adviser to ensure a fair and compliant response. In such cases, only relevant information will be shared, and confidentiality will be maintained at all times.
Confidentiality
All complaints are treated in the strictest confidence. Patient records will remain confidential, and only those involved in investigating or resolving your complaint will have access to the necessary information.
Learning from Complaints
We record all complaints centrally and regularly review them as part of our governance and quality improvement processes. This ensures we identify any trends, improve our services, and share learning across the team.
If You Are Not Satisfied
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure first. We believe this gives us the best chance to put things right and improve our services.
However, if you remain dissatisfied, you may contact one of the following independent bodies:
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) Website: https://dcs.gdc-uk.org/