Complaints Procedure

Complaints Procedure | White Peak Dental Practice

Code of Practice for Patient Complaints

At White Peak Dental Practice, we take complaints very seriously and aim to ensure that all our patients are satisfied with their experience of our service. When patients do complain, we handle their concerns courteously and promptly, aiming to resolve the matter as quickly as possible. This procedure is based on those principles.

Our goal is to respond to complaints in the way we would wish our own to be handled — with fairness, openness, and care. We view complaints as an opportunity to learn and to continually improve the quality of our services.

Handling of Complaints

The person responsible for dealing with any complaints about the service we provide is:
Lisa Perry – Practice Manager

• If a patient complains by telephone or in person, we will listen carefully and offer to refer them directly to the Practice Manager.

  • If the Practice Manager is unavailable, the patient will be informed when she will be able to speak with them, and suitable arrangements will be made.

  • The staff member taking the call will record brief details of the complaint and pass them to the Practice Manager.

  • If contact cannot be arranged promptly, or if the patient prefers not to wait, another senior member of the team will handle the matter.

• If a patient complains in writing or by email, the correspondence will be passed immediately to the Practice Manager.

• If a complaint concerns clinical care or associated charges, it will normally be referred to the treating dentist unless the patient requests otherwise.

Response Times

• We will acknowledge all complaints in writing within three working days, enclosing a copy of this Complaints Procedure.

• We aim to investigate complaints within ten working days of receipt and provide an explanation of the circumstances leading to the issue.

• If the patient prefers not to meet in person, we will attempt to discuss the matter over the phone.

• If we cannot complete our investigation within ten working days, we will notify the patient, explaining the reason for the delay and the expected completion date.

• Once our investigation is complete, we will confirm our decision in writing immediately.

Record Keeping

All complaints are recorded comprehensively, along with details of investigations, outcomes, and any actions taken to improve our services as a result.

Further Action

If a patient is not satisfied with the outcome of our internal complaints procedure, they may contact:

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP
Telephone: 0345 015 4033
Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk