Patient Complaints Procedure

It is our aim to always have satisfied patients, to meet your expectations of care and service, and to resolve any complaints as efficiently, effectively and politely as possible. We take complaints very seriously, investigating them in a full and fair way while taking great care to protect your confidentiality. We learn from complaints to improve our care and services. We will never discriminate against patients who have made a complaint and will be happy to answer any questions you may have about this procedure.

If you are not entirely satisfied with any aspect of our care or service, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can address your concerns promptly.

Complaints may be made in writing, by email or verbally, either by the patient or by an authorised person acting on the patient’s behalf. Complaints should be addressed to the Practice Complaints Manager and should include enough information to enable them to be investigated efficiently.

Every complaint will be acknowledged in writing or by email within 3 working days. We aim to investigate and respond to complaints as promptly as possible and, wherever practicable, within 10 working days. Where an investigation is likely to take longer, we will keep you informed of our progress and provide an estimated timescale for our response.

For our full complaints procedure and policy, please ask a member of our reception team. If a complaint relates to clinical care or associated charges, it will normally be acknowledged by the Management Team and referred to the treating dentist. Please note that in these circumstances, Dental Beauty acts as a liaison between the patient and the treating dentist and accepts no liability on behalf of the treating dentist.

You can send your complaint to:

70 Pickford Ln, Bexleyheath DA7 4RX or email feedback@dentalbeautypartners.co.uk

We regularly review complaints to identify opportunities to improve our services and the patient experience. We therefore welcome your feedback, comments, suggestions and complaints.

Data Protection Complaints

If you have any comments, concerns or complaints about how Dental Beauty collects, uses, stores or shares your personal information, please contact the Practice in the first instance using the contact details above. We will investigate your concerns and respond as quickly as possible.

If you remain dissatisfied with our response, or you feel unable to raise your concerns with the Practice, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Please note: Requests to access your personal information (Subject Access Requests) are handled separately under our Data Protection Policy and will be responded to in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), normally within one calendar month.

Further Escalation

For NHS treatment

If your complaint relates to NHS dental treatment, you can contact your local Integrated Care Board (ICB), which is responsible for NHS dental services.

If you are unhappy with the way your complaint has been handled by either the practice or the ICB, you may contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO makes final decisions on unresolved complaints about NHS services in England.

Telephone: 0345 015 4033

Private Dental Treatment

If your complaint is not resolved satisfactorily by the practice, you may contact the Dental Complaints Service (DCS), which provides an impartial mediation service for private dental patients and dental professionals.

Telephone: 020 8253 0800 (Monday to Friday, 9.00am–5.00pm)

Other Organisations

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both NHS and private dental services in England.

Telephone: 03000 616161

The General Dental Council (GDC) regulates all dental professionals. Concerns can be raised via the GDC’s online complaints process or by contacting them directly.

Telephone: 020 7167 6000

Email: information@gdc-uk.org