Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the dentist or staff members, please let us know. We operate a complaints procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our system meets national criteria.

How to complain?

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible – ideally, within a matter of days or at most a few weeks – because that will help us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint within 12 months of the incident.

Complaints should be addressed to Suzanne McNichol. Alternatively, you can ask for an appointment with her in order to discuss your concerns. She will make sure your complaint is dealt with promptly. It would be a great help if you could be as specific as possible about your complaint.

WHAT SHALL WE DO?

We shall acknowledge your complaint within two working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within two working days of the date when you raised it with us. We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or meeting with the people involved. When we look into the complaint we shall aim to:

• Find out what happened and what went wrong
• Make it possible to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this
• Make sure you receive an apology when this is appropriate
• Identify what went wrong so that it doesn't happen again

Complaining on behalf of someone

Please note that we keep strictly to the rules on patient confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we need to know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed from the person concerned will be needed, unless that are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

Complaining to the Health Authority

We hope that if you have a complaint you will use our complaints procedure. We believe that this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever went wrong and improve our practice.

This does not affect your rights to approach the local health authority if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation. Their contact details are as follows

• Central Lancashire Customer Care (NHS) 01772 695315
• Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman 0845 0154033