Complaints

We welcome all complaints and compliments and are always keen to understand how our process can be improved for all our stakeholders. You can make a complaint if you are a service user, a patient, a referrer or a provider of care (primary or secondary).

Before contacting us about a complaint its important to understand what services we provide.  We take referrals from dentists, triage (assess) them and then send them to an appropriate provider.  We can only respond to complaints about this part of the patient journey.  For example, we cannot respond to complaints about:

• Waiting times at hospitals once referrals have been received
• The wait times for orthodontic treatments
• The information required on the referral forms – this is a commissioning decision
• The local services available – for example if there is not a sedation service
• The commissioning decisions we enact – for example, if a particular treatment is not supported by the commissioning board in your area

For these complaints please contact NHS England – via the following link.

If you are unsure if we can help – please do get in touch and we can direct you appropriately.

Sending us a complaint

We aim to resolve any issues which may arise through informal discussion but where you do not feel this is possible you can email or write to us with your complaint.  Please see the “Contact Us” page for more information on our address and email details.

Policy

All complaints  will be recorded, and written complaints will be acknowledged in writing within 3 working days of receipt. Our reply to you should be made within 10 working days, or we will provide you  with an update and an estimate timescale. If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint then you can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service who will be able to assist you further – you can reach them here

General Dental Council

You can read about the remit of the GDC, and their complaints process here.