SW11 Clinic understand that complaints can be a useful source of information about the patient’s perspective of our services and can be used as a resource for improvement and contributing to professional development.
Any patient wishing to make a complaint will be taken into a private area and given time to hear the complaint in full. If the complainant is not the patient, written consent must be provided by the patient on whose behalf the complaint is lodged.
When a complaint is made, a designated complaints officer will record the relevant information on a complaint form, which is then signed by the patient.
The matter will be investigated and a report or acknowledgment will be provided within 2 working days.
The complaint form will be referred immediately to practice management.
Depending on the nature of the complaint, management will endeavor to resolve the complaint as far as possible to the patient’s satisfaction.
The patient is informed of the outcome in writing. In the case of minor matters, the patient may be informed by telephone.
SW11 Clinic follow the National time limits for complaints as follows:
● a written acknowledgment is sent within 2 working days (unless a full reply can be completed within 5 working days);
● a full response is sent within 20 days; or, where an investigation is ongoing, a full response is sent within 5 days of its conclusion.
At all times the patient will be updated about the progress of the complaint and will be informed in advance if the above deadlines cannot be met due to an ongoing investigation.
Patients should be assured that having raised a complaint, will not affect their standard of care and treatment in any way.
In relation to dental complaints, if the patient remains unhappy, following the above procedure, they can contact GDC (General Dental Council, https://www.gdc-uk.org/) or DCS (Dental Complaints Services, https://dcs.gdc-uk.org/).
