Complaints handling policy (NHS treatment)

Code of practice for patient complaints

 

In this practice we take complaints very seriously and try 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 our 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.

 

• The person responsible for dealing with any complaint about the service that we provide is Vicky Hatton.

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• If a patient complains by telephone or in person, we will listen to their complaint and offer to refer him or her to the Complaints Manager immediately. If Vicky Hatton 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 for this to happen. The member of staff will make a written record of your complaint and provide the patient with a copy as well as passing it on to Vicky Hatton. 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.

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• If the patient complains in writing or by e-mail it will be passed on immediately to Vicky Hatton.

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• If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges it will normally be referred to the dentist concerned, unless the patient does not want this to happen.

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• We will acknowledge the patient’s complaint in writing and enclose a copy of this code of practice as soon as possible, normally within three working days. We will offer to discuss the complaint at a time agreed with the patient, asking how the patient would like to be kept informed of developments, for example, by telephone, face to face meetings, letters or e-mail. We will inform the patient about how the complaint will be handled and the likely time that the investigation will take to be completed. If the patient does not wish to discuss the complaint, we will still inform them of the expected timescale for completing the process.

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• We will seek to investigate the complaint speedily and efficiently and we will keep the patient regularly informed, as far as is reasonably practicable, as to the progress of the investigation. Investigations will normally be completed within two months.

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• When we have completed our investigation, we will provide the patient with a full written report. The report will include an explanation of how the complaint has been considered, the conclusions reached in respect of each specific part of the complaint, details of any necessary remedial action and whether the practice is satisfied with any action it has already taken or will be taking as a result of the complaint.

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• Proper and comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received as well as any actions taken to improve services as a consequence of a complaint

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• If patients are not satisfied with the result of our procedure then a complaint may be referred to: NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch B97 9PT (email: England.contactus@nhs.net) or the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank London SW1P 4QP (tel: 0345 015 4033 or www.ombudsman.org.uk for complaints about NHS treatment).

 

Complaining to NHS England

NHS England welcomes concerns, compliments and complaints as valuable feedback that will help us learn from your experiences and make improvements to services we commission.

You can complain or give feedback:

By post to:

NHS England
PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT

By email to: england.contactus@nhs.net

If you are making a complaint please state: ‘For the attention of the complaints team’ in the subject line.

By telephone: 0300 311 22 33

British Sign Language (BSL):  If you use BSL, you can to talk to us via a video call to a BSL interpreter. Visit NHS England’s BSL Service.

Our opening hours are: 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, except Wednesdays when we open at the later time of 9.30am.

Complaints – what you need to provide

Provide as much information as possible to allow NHS England to investigate your complaint. Include some or all of the following:

• your name and a valid email or home address for reply

• a phone number in case we need to contact you for additional information

• a clear description of what you want to complain about and when this happened

• the name of the service you want to complain about

• any relevant correspondence

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Consent

If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we will need their consent to proceed with the complaint. We will contact you about this.

When a complaint is made about a service such as a GP, dentist or pharmacy, we will also require specific consent to share the complaint with that service in order to investigate it. It will speed up the process if you include the following line in your complaint:

“I give permission for my complaint to be shared with (insert name of GP / dental surgery etc.) in order for NHS England to carry out an investigation.”

 

Removable Media

Please do not post removable media to NHS England, for example CDs, DVDs, SD cards and memory sticks. Due to security restrictions we are unable to access information sent this way. Any removable media will be returned to you, or securely destroyed if we do not have your details.

 

What happens next?

NHS England will acknowledge all complaints no later than the third working day after the day the complaint is received.

Investigating the complaint

The complaint will be investigated and you will receive the findings of the investigation along with an apology. You will also receive an explanation of any lessons learned or changes that will take place as a result of the findings of the investigation.

 

How long will it take?

This will depend on what your complaint is about and how complex it is. Communication with you is important and we will keep you updated throughout the process.

 

 

 

Complaints handling policy (private treatment)

Code of practice for patient complaints

 

In this practice we take complaints very seriously and try 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 our complaint about a service to be handled.  We learn from every mistake that we make and we respond to customers’ concerns in a caring and sensitive way.

 

• The person responsible for dealing with any complaint about the service that we provide is Vicky Hatton, our Complaints Manager.

 

• 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 Complaints Manager immediately. If the Complaints Manager is not available at the time, then the patient will be told when they will be able to talk to the dentist and arrangements will be made for this to happen. 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 will be passed on immediately to the Complaints 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 3 working days.

 

• We will seek to investigate the complaint within ten 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 ten 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.

 

• If patients are not satisfied with the result of our procedure then a complaint may be made to: 

 

• Dental Complaints Service, Stephenson House, 2 Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon CR0 6BA (Telephone: 08456 120 540) for complaints about private treatment

• The General Dental Council, 37 Wimpole Street, London, W1M 8DQ (Telephone: 0845 222 4141), the dentists’ regulatory body for complaints about professional misconduct.