Our complaints policy.
It is our aim to always have satisfied patients, to meet your expectations of care and service, and to resolve any complaints as effectively and politely as possible. We take complaints very seriously, investigating them in a full and fair way, and take great care to protect your confidentiality. We learn from complaints to improve our care and service. We will never discriminate against patients who have made a complaint, and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have about this procedure.
If you are not entirely satisfied with any aspect of our care and service, please let us know as soon as possible to allow us to address your concerns promptly. We accept complaints made verbally as well as written complaints.
Ian Grime is the complaints Manager and will be your personal contact to assist you with any complaints.
You can send your complaints to Victoria Buildings, Heaton Park view, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE6 5BF, call us on 0191 2659258 or email the complaints manager on admin@parkviewdentists.co.uk.
If the complaints manager is unavailable, we will take brief details about the complaint and will arrange for a meeting when it is suitable for you and the practice. We will keep comprehensive and confidential records of your complaint, which will be stored securely and only be accessible to those who need to know about your complaint. If the complaint investigation takes longer than anticipated, the complaints manager will contact you at least every 10 working days to keep you informed of the reason for any delays, the progress of the investigation, and the proposed date it will be completed.
When the investigation has been completed, you will be informed of its outcome in writing. We will make our response clear, addressing each of your concerns as best we can. You will also be invited to a meeting to discuss the results and any practical solutions that we can offer to you. These solutions could include replacing treatment, refunding fees paid, referring you for specialist treatments, or other solutions that meet your needs and resolve the complaint.
In England we aim to resolve verbal complaints within 24 hours where possible, but if you complain in writing the complaints manager will send an acknowledgement letter within 3 working days and will aim to provide a full response in writing as soon as practical.
We regularly analyse patient complaints to learn from them and to improve our services. That’s why we always welcome your feedback, comments, suggestions and complaints. If you are dissatisfied with our response to a complaint, you can take the matter further, please see the contacts below.
GDC private dental complaints service can be contacted by calling 020 82530800 or visiting www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk
The complaint must be within 12 months of the date it was first brought to our attention.
The General Dental Council is responsible for regulating all dental professionals. You can complain using their online form at www.gdc-uk.org contact them at information@gdc-org.uk or by calling 020 71676000.
Also, the care quality commission (CQC) regulates private and NHS dental care services in England by calling 03000616161.
They can act against a service provider that is not meeting their standards.
For NHS dental complaints you can contact your local integrated care board (ICB), which is responsible for NHS dental services. The PHSO makes final decisions on unresolved complaints about the NHS in England. You can call on 0345 015 4033 or use the PHSO's secure online form to raise your complaint (this only applies to NHS services in England).
For the northeast and integrated care system (ICS)