Complaints Procedure

We take complaints very seriously here at Broad Walk Dental Practice. We aim to resolve any problems our patients have with any aspect of their experience here as a matter of urgency.

If you have a concern about something you would like to discuss in person, please do not hesitate to talk to a member of staff.

If you wish to complain in writing, you can address your complaint to our complaints manager Miss Bethan Edge. She will aim to reply to your complaint personally within 10 working days.

If your complaint is regarding dental treatment you have received, or a complaint about a dental practitioner, the practitioner will reply to your complaint personally within 10 working days.

Our code of practice for handling complaints within the practice is detailed below:

• We aim to respond to complaints in the same way that we would want our own complaint to be handled.
• We hope to learn from every case and respond to patients’ concerns in a caring and sensitive way.
• We will seek to investigate and respond to a complaint within 10 working days
• Accurate and comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received in accordance with NHS complaints policy and procedure.

If you have a complaint about the care or NHS services provided by your dentist you can raise these directly as above.

Alternatively, if you prefer, you can contact the Integrated Care Board (ICB) Complaints Team who will advise if your complaint can be handled by the ICB’s Primary Care Complaints Team.

The ICB’s PALS Team can be contacted on 0800 032 32 35 or via email ddicb.pals@nhs.net

If you require support because English is not your first language, please contact us and we will signpost you to the relevant interpretation service.

Please note: A complaint can only be raised with either the practice OR the NHS. If you address your complaint to one, the other will be unable to investigate the complaint.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the practice, you could ask the Health Service Ombudsman to review your complaint. The Health Service Ombudsman would generally only agree to review your complaint if they feel you have exhausted all attempts to resolve your complaint at local level. You should aim to approach the Heath Service Ombudsman within 6 months of receipt of a reply.

You can contact them by telephone: 0345 015 4033, post:The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP, or visit their website at: www.ombudsman.org.uk.

If you need support to make a complaint, independent advocacy is provided locally:

Derbyshire Mind – Tel: 01332 623 732 /Email: advocacy@derbyshiremind.org.uk   

You can also leave feedback and share your experience of health and social services locally:   Healthwatch Derbyshire – Tel: 01773 880 786

The practice operates a zero tolerance policy towards all patients who are violent and/or abusive. Such patients will never be seen again in the practice. The NHS will be informed of this and the police may also be informed.