Complaints Policy - Code of Practice

Bank Dental

14.8.24

We place great emphasis on meeting and, whenever possible, exceeding our patients’ expectations.  We try to ensure that all patients are pleased with their experience of our services and we take any concerns a patient may have very seriously.

If you have a concern regarding any aspect of your care, please let us know. We will do all that we can to resolve it to your satisfaction, both promptly and professionally.

Our aim is to respond to patients’ concerns in a caring and sensitive way.

1. The person responsible for dealing with any concerns in this practice is Matthew Kilcoyne.
2. If you are unhappy about an aspect of your care, speak to a member of the reception staff either by telephone or at the reception desk.  After listening to a description of the problem Matthew Kilcoyne should be contacted if it cannot be dealt with straight away.  Should the designated person or other responsible person not be available at the time, you will be informed when they will be available and arrangements will be made for you to meet with the appropriate person.  The member of staff will take brief details of the concern and pass them on to Matthew Kilcoyne.
3. If you write to express your concern, by letter or email, this will be passed on to the designated person in the case of administrative issues, and for clinical issues, to the treating dentist concerned who is responsible for the clinical care provided.  The contact details to write to are: The Practice Principal, PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL, Bank Dental, 18 Market Place, Poulton le Fylde, Lancashire, FY6 7AS
4. If your concern is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges, the clinician involved and the Principal Dentist will be informed.
5. We acknowledge in writing any concerns within three working days. If you have raised a concern in writing, the written acknowledgement will also include a copy of this Code of Practice.  We will investigate the concern and report back to you within ten working days.  If, for any reason, we are unable to complete our investigations within 10 working days, we will notify your, giving reasons for the delay and the likely period within which the investigation well be completed.
6. We will ask you how you would like your complaint to be handled – this helps give you control from the outset.
7. Should there be any delay we will keep you informed at each stage and the reason for the delay.
8. We will confirm the outcome of the investigation and any decisions made in writing.
9. Proper and comprehensive records are kept of any concerns/complaints received.
10. Patients can contact the Dental Complaints Service.  Patients can also contact the Care Quality Commission.  The practice will obviously try to avoid the matter escalating this far, however we understand that, sometimes, it is impossible to resolve matters and this is then the only way to proceed.
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Dental Complaints Service   https://dcs.gdc-uk.org  0208 253 0800

Care Quality Commission, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA Tel: 03000 616161 www.cqc.org.uk/contact-us

Signed: Matthew Kilcoyne

Date reviewed: 14.8.24
Next review: Aug 25