Complaints Policy
We want all our patients to be pleased with the service that they receive, so we take complaints seriously.
Complaints Policy and Procedure
Our Commitment
At Maison Dental we are committed to providing high-quality dental care to all our patients. We take feedback and complaints seriously and view them as an opportunity to learn, improve our services, and maintain trust and transparency with our patients.
We aim to handle all complaints courteously, efficiently, and promptly so that concerns can be resolved as quickly as possible.
The person responsible for handling all complaints in the practice is Emma Hirst.
How to Make a Complaint
We hope that most issues can be resolved quickly and informally, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned.
If your concern cannot be resolved this way, or you would prefer to make a formal complaint, you may do so verbally, in writing, or by email.
Complaints Made Verbally
If you make a complaint in person or by telephone:
- We will listen to your concerns and, where possible, attempt to resolve them immediately.
- If the Complaints Lead is not available, a team member will record your details and a brief description of your complaint.
- Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days, and arrangements will be made for the Complaints Lead to contact you directly.
Complaints Made in Writing or by Email
Written and emailed complaints will be passed immediately to the Complaints Lead, who will acknowledge receipt within 3 working days of receiving your correspondence.
Investigation and Response
- We will make every effort to resolve your complaint within 10 working days of acknowledgment.
- If the investigation is likely to take longer, for example where clinical advice is required, we will inform you of the reason for the delay and agree on an updated timescale with you.
- If your complaint involves clinical care or treatment, the matter will usually be referred to the treating dentist, unless you specifically request otherwise.
- Once our investigation is complete, we will contact you via your preferred method, such as letter, email, or telephone, to share our findings and any actions taken.
Where necessary, we may seek advice from our indemnity provider, insurer, or legal adviser to ensure a fair and compliant response. In such cases, only relevant information will be shared, and confidentiality will be maintained at all times.
Confidentiality
All complaints are treated in the strictest confidence. Patient records will remain confidential, and only those involved in investigating or resolving your complaint will have access to the necessary information.
Learning from Complaints
We record all complaints centrally and regularly review them as part of our governance and quality improvement processes. This ensures we identify any trends, improve our services, and share learning across the team.
Time Limits for Making a Complaint
Complaints should normally be made within 12 months of the incident or the date the issue came to your attention.
However, we will always consider reasonable exceptions if there are valid reasons for the delay.
If You Are Not Satisfied
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure first. We believe this gives us the best chance to put things right and improve our services.
However, if you remain dissatisfied, you may contact one of the following independent bodies:
The CQC
The CQC do not get directly involved with complaints made to the practice. They do, however, encourage giving feedback to service providers.
To send feedback to the CQC please go to: https://www.cqc.org.uk/give-feedback-on-care
Telephone: 03000 616161 (Mon to Fri, 8.30am – 5.30pm Excluding Bank Holidays)
The Dental Complaints Service
The Dental Complaints Service handles complaints made by private patients.
Telephone: 0208 253 0800 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)
Website: https://dcs.gdc-uk.org/
The GDC
Telephone: 020 7167 6000
Website: https://contactus.gdc-uk.org/Complaint/Process/13
Document Control
Title: Complaints Policy and Procedure
Author/s: DCME Team
Owner: DCME Team
Approver: DCME Team
Date Original Policy Created: 12.07.2023
Latest Review Date: October 2025
Next Review Date: October 2026
Change History
| Version | Status | Date | Author / Editor | Details of Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Final | 12.07.23 | DCME | New Template Created |
| 0.2 | Final | 05.08.24 | HD | Updated template. Separated complaints that are made verbally and in writing. Clarified the role of the ICB for NHS complaints. |
| 0.3 | Final | 09.09.24 | HD | Added timeframe for raising complaints. |
| 0.4 | Final | Oct 25 | PG | Re-write of original policy, same content, laid out differently for the patients benefit. |
The latest approved version of this document supersedes all other versions, upon receipt of the latest approved version all other versions should be destroyed, unless specifically stated that previous version(s) are to remain extant. If in any doubt, please contact the document Author.
Approved By: Alex Al Shaikh, Emma Hirst
Date Published: 14/05/2026
Maison Dental Complaints Procedure
Overview
We try to ensure that all of our patients are pleased with their experience of our services. We welcome feedback from patients and take any complaints seriously. We aim to deal with any complaints courteously and efficiently so that they can be resolved as quickly as possible.
Our complaints procedure outlines how we will deal with any complaints.
The person responsible for dealing with any complaints in the practice is Emma Hirst.
Complaints Made Verbally
If you wish to make a complaint over the phone or in person, we will listen to your complaint and offer to refer you to the complaints lead. If they are unavailable, the staff member will take your details and a brief explanation of the complaint to pass on. Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days.
Complaints Made via Email or Letter
Any letters or emails regarding a complaint will be immediately passed to the complaints lead. Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days.
Investigation
- We will contact you to discuss your complaint unless it can be resolved easily.
- Any complaints involving clinical care will be referred to the treating dentist unless you request this not to happen.
- We will investigate your complaint and aim to have a response for you within 10 working days.
- If it is not possible to resolve the complaint within that timeframe, we will inform you and let you know when it is likely to be resolved.
- Once we have made a decision regarding your complaint, we will inform you by your preferred contact method.
It is possible that if a complaint regards clinical care or is complex, we may need to seek advice from our insurers, indemnifiers or legal advisors and, therefore, may need to share some of your information for this purpose.
Complaints to External Bodies
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will make use of 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.
However, this does not affect your right to complain to an independent body, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation.
The CQC
The CQC do not get directly involved with complaints made to the practice. They do, however, encourage giving feedback to service providers.
To send feedback to the CQC please go to: https://www.cqc.org.uk/give-feedback-on-care
Telephone: 03000 616161 (Mon to Fri, 8.30am – 5.30pm Excluding Bank Holidays)
NHS
If you would rather not go directly to your practice, you can contact your local ICB, which is responsible for NHS dental services.
<Please follow THIS LINK to find your local ICB contact details and enter the data here>
You can also contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman if you are unhappy with how the practice, or ICB, has dealt with your complaint.
Telephone: 0345 015 4033
Website: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk
Private: Dental Complaints Service
Telephone: 0208 253 0800 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)
Website: https://dcs.gdc-uk.org/
GDC
Telephone: 0854 222 4141 or 0207 887 3800
Website: https://contactus.gdc-uk.org/Complaint/Process/13
DCME V1.1JUN24 Checked by HD