Complaints Policy
COMPLAINTS POLICY AND PROCEDURE
In this practice we take complaints very seriously and try to ensure that all patients are pleased with their experience of our services. When patients complain, they are dealt with courteously andpromptly so that the matter is resolved as quickly as possible.If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the dentist or any of the staff working at this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.
We hope that most problems can be resolved easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out this way and you wish to make acomplaint, we will respond to your complaint within three working days, enabling us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of youromplaint within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem.
Complaints should be addressed to Chirag Shah – Complaints Manager, or Vidhi Shah – Deputy Complaints Manager. You may ask for an appointment in order to discuss your concerns. We willexplain the complaints procedure to you and will ensure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.
Complaints made to the practice
The person responsible for dealing with any complaints about the service is Mrs Vidhi Shah or Mr Chirag Shah. If a patient complains on the telephone or at the reception desk, we will listen to his or hercomplaint and offer to refer him or her to Vidhi Shah. 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 to deal with it. If the patient complains in writing the letter will be passed on immediately to Mrs Vidhi Shah or Mr Chirag Shah. 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.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of clinical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed bythe person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of physical and mentalillness) of providing this.
What we Shall do:
We will acknowledge the patient’s complaint including 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. This will be within 14 days of the compliant received. If we are unable to investigate the complaint within this agreed time period, 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.
Eastcote Lane Dental Practice welcomes all complaints; any patient that makes a complaint will not be adversely treated due to having complained. If you do not wish to complain directly to thePractice you can address your complaint directly to the relevant body. Should a patient make a complaint or claim, we may need to provide information about the patient, and treatment they have received, to insurers, indemnifiers or legal advisers.
Complaining to the Local Integrated Care Board (ICB) formerly NHS England
Local Integrated care board for the practice is: NHS North West London ICB
We hope that if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity toimprove our practice. This does not affect your right to approach the NHS North West London if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation.Should you wish to make a direct complaint to the commissioner you will need to contact NHS North West London ICB and you can do this by:
Telephone: 020 3350 4567 (This is an automated service. Please leave a message requesting a call back)
E-mail: nhsnwl.complaints@nhs.net
Writing to NHS Northwest London: Complaints Manager, NHS Northwest London, 15 Marylebone road, London, NW1 5JD
Find out more at www.nwlondonicb.nhs.uk/complaints
Should you wish to make a complaint to other external bodies their contact details are provided below:
NHS England Customer Support Centre,
PO Box 16738,
Redditch.B97 9PT,
Telephone: 03003112233 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, excluding English Bank Holidays)
Email: England.contactus@nhs.net
Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman
Citygate
Mosley Street
Manchester
M2 3HQ
Telephone: 0345 015 4033
Email: www.ombudsman.org.uk
For complaints about private dental care you can contact:
Dental Complaints Service
37 Wimpole Street
London
W1G 8DQ
Telephone: 0845 222 4141 or 020 7887 3800