Charminster House Dental Practice
65 Wellington Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH8 8JL

Complaints | Charminster Dental
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Complaints

In this practice we take complaints very seriously and try to ensure that all patients are satisfied with their experience of our service. When patients complain, they are dealt with courteously and promptly and every effort is made to ensure the matter is resolved as quickly as possible. This procedure is based on these objectives.

Our aim is to react to complaints in the way in which we would want a complaint about a service to be handled. We learn from every mistake that we make and we respond to patient’s concerns in a caring and sensitive way.

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the dentist or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of our system for dealing with complaints.

The person responsible for dealing with any complaints about the service which we provide is our practice manager, Lucy Sharples.

How to complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted our 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 this will enable us to establish what happened more easily.

Complaints should be addressed to the practice manager Lucy Sharples or any of the dentists. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with Lucy Sharples in order to discuss your concerns. She will explain the complaints procedure to you and will ensure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible with your complaint.

What we shall do

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

  • find out what happened and what went wrong;
  • make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this;
  • make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate;

If we are unable to investigate the complaint within twenty working days we will notify the patient, giving reasons for the delay and a likely period within which the investigation will be completed.

When Lucy Sharples is not available another member of staff will provide the letter of acknowledgment and pass the complaint to one of the dentists.

Proper and comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received.

Complaining of behalf of someone else

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

Complaining to the Dental Complaints Service

We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will provide the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice.

But this does not affect your right to approach the Dental Complaints Service, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation.

You should contact the Dental Complaints Service through the following ways for advice:

Telephone: 08456 120 540 at local rate
(Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm)
Telephone: 08456 120 540 at local rate
(Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm)
Write to: The Dental Complaints Service
The Lansdowne Building
2 Lansdowne Road
Croydon, CR9 2ER

Please do not hesitate to contact us at the practice should you require any further information or advice regarding a complaint.