Complaints procedure

Our commitment to you

We are committed to providing a high standard of care and service. If you are unhappy with any aspect of your experience, please let us know so we can put things right.

We take all concerns and complaints seriously. We will:

• listen and treat you with respect
• handle your complaint fairly and confidentially
• keep a record of the concern and use your feedback to improve our service.

Raising a concern or complaint will not affect your ongoing care or treatment.

How to raise a concern or complaint

You can share your concern or make a complaint in whichever way suits you:

• In person or by phone: 01304 273034
• In writing: Sedgemead House Dental, Beaconsfield Road, Dover, Kent CT16 2LP
• By email: shmanager@ayldental.com

The person responsible for managing complaints is our Practice Manager, Kim Aylward.

If your concern is about the Practice Manager, you can speak to any member of our team, who will make sure it is passed to the right person, so that it is handled fairly.

You can also ask someone to raise a complaint on your behalf, such as a family member or representative.

What happens next

We will acknowledge your concern as soon as possible, and no later than 3 working days after we receive it. We will offer to discuss your complaint with you, so you understand how it will be handled, how long the investigation is likely to take and when to expect a response. You can choose whether to have this discussion.

Early resolution. Where possible, we aim to resolve your concern quickly.

Investigation. If your concern is more complex or can't be resolved straight away, we will look into it fully, fairly and carefully, and keep you updated on progress, usually every 10 days.

Our response. After investigating, we will write to you to explain what we looked at, what we found and any action we have taken or will take. We aim to respond as soon as possible, and no later than 6 months unless we have agreed a different timeframe with you. If there are any delays, we will tell you and explain why.

Time limits

It is usually best to raise a complaint within 12 months of the event, or within 12 months of becoming aware of the issue. If you contact us after this time we will still consider your complaint, although we may not be able to resolve it if it can no longer be investigated fairly.

If you are not satisfied with our response

We hope to resolve your concerns. If you remain unhappy, you can contact:

• The Dental Complaints Service (for private dental treatment, which is all the treatment we provide): 020 8253 0800, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm · dcs.gdc-uk.org · 37 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8DQ
• The General Dental Council (concerns about a dental professional): 020 7167 6000 · gdc-uk.org · 37 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8DQ
• The Care Quality Commission (concerns about the practice): 03000 616161 · cqc.org.uk

Support is also available for concerns about financial matters. Please ask a member of our team for details.

You can also download our complaints procedure (PDF).