Complaints Policy

Last Updated: 20 March 2026

Our commitment

At A1 Dental Surgery, we strive to provide excellent dental care and service. However, we recognize that sometimes things go wrong or fail to meet your expectations.

We take all complaints seriously and view them as opportunities to improve our services. This policy outlines how we handle complaints fairly, efficiently, and confidentially.

What is a Complaint

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about any aspect of our service, including:

• Clinical treatment or diagnosis
• Staff behavior or attitude
• Appointment scheduling or waiting times
• Communication issues
• Billing or fee disputes
• Practice facilities or cleanliness
• Data protection or confidentiality concerns
• Accessibility issues

You have the right to complain if you’re unhappy with any aspect of the service we provide.

Complaints Rights

The following people can make a complaint:

• Registered patients receiving treatment at our practice
• Former patients (within 12 months of leaving or final treatment)
• Parents or legal guardians of child patients
• People acting on behalf of patients with appropriate consent
• Anyone affected by our actions or decisions

If you’re complaining on someone else’s behalf, we’ll need written consent from the patient unless they’re unable to provide it (for example, due to age or incapacity).

How to Complain

Step 1: Informal Resolution

Many concerns can be resolved quickly through informal discussion. If you’re unhappy about something:

Speak to reception immediately. They may be able to resolve the issue on the spot.

Request to speak with the dentist treating you. Many clinical concerns can be addressed through direct conversation.

Contact the practice manager (Tina Butler or Natalie Towler) by calling 01227 765 851.

We’ll try to resolve your concern informally within 3 working days.

Step 2: Formal Written Complaint

If informal resolution doesn’t resolve your concern, or the matter is too serious for informal handling, submit a formal written complaint:

By email: a1*******@***oo.com (subject line: “Formal Complaint”)
By post:
Complaints Manager
A1 Dental Surgery
52 London Road
Canterbury
Kent CT2 8LF

Include in your complaint:

• Your name, address, and contact details
• Patient name (if complaining on someone’s behalf) and consent if applicable
• Date(s) when the problem occurred
• Detailed description of your complaint
• What you’ve done already to try to resolve it
• What outcome you’re seeking
• Any supporting documents (receipts, correspondence, photographs)

Time limit: Complaints should be made within 12 months of the incident or within 12 months of discovering the problem. We may consider complaints outside this timeframe at our discretion.

Our Investigation Process

Acknowledgment (Within 3 Working Days)

We’ll acknowledge your complaint in writing within 3 working days of receiving it, confirming:

• We’ve received your complaint
• Who is handling the investigation
• Expected timeframe for response

Investigation

The Complaints Manager will:

• Review your complaint thoroughly
• Gather relevant information (medical records, staff statements, appointment records)
• Interview involved staff members
• Consult with Dr Banvir or relevant clinical staff
• Consider all aspects of your complaint fairly and objectively

Confidentiality: Your complaint is handled confidentially. Information is only shared with staff members directly involved in the investigation or resolution.

Impartiality: Investigations are conducted fairly without bias toward either the complainant or staff members.

Response (Within 10 Working Days for NHS, 20 Working Days for Private)

NHS complaints: We aim to provide a full written response within 10 working days.

Private complaints: We aim to provide a full written response within 20 working days.

Complex cases: If investigation requires more time, we’ll contact you explaining the delay and providing an updated timeframe. We’ll keep you informed of progress.

Our Response Will Include:

• Summary of your complaint and our understanding of the issues
• Explanation of our investigation process
• Findings from our investigation
• Response to each point raised
• Acknowledgment if things went wrong
• Apology where appropriate
• Action taken or planned to prevent recurrence
• Explanation of your right to escalate if you’re dissatisfied

What Might Happen

Following investigation, we may:

Uphold your complaint:
We agree things went wrong and will:

• Apologize where appropriate
• Explain what happened and why
• Detail action taken to prevent recurrence
• Offer remedies where appropriate (refunds, remedial treatment, etc.)

Partially uphold your complaint:
Some elements of your complaint are valid, others aren’t. We’ll explain our findings on each point.

Not uphold your complaint:
Our investigation finds no fault in the care or service provided. We’ll explain why, providing detailed reasoning.

Offer remedies:
Depending on the nature and severity of the complaint, remedies might include:

• Apology
• Explanation and reassurance
• Remedial treatment at no cost
• Partial or full refund
• Changed procedures to prevent recurrence
• Staff retraining or disciplinary action (we won’t share details due to confidentiality)

Escalating Your Complaint

If you remain unhappy after our investigation, you can escalate to external organizations:

For NHS Complaints:

NHS England
Contact the NHS England Customer Contact Centre:

Phone: 0300 311 22 33
Email: en***************@*hs.net
Website: www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint/

NHS England will review whether we handled your complaint properly according to NHS procedures.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
If you’re still dissatisfied after NHS England’s review:

Phone: 0345 015 4033
Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk

The Ombudsman provides independent review of NHS complaint handling.

For Private Complaints:

Dental Complaints Service
Independent complaints resolution for private dental care:

Phone: 08456 120 540
Website: www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk
Post: Dental Complaints Service, The Wynford Centre, Mythic Beech, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 6LD

The service is free and independent. They’ll investigate if we’ve followed proper procedures and may facilitate resolution.

General Dental Council (GDC)

For serious concerns about a dentist’s fitness to practice (professional misconduct, health issues affecting practice, criminal convictions, or serious competence concerns):

Phone: 0207 167 6000
Website: www.gdc-uk.org
Post: General Dental Council, 37 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8DQ

Note: The GDC investigates professional conduct, not service complaints or fee disputes. They don’t award compensation or overturn treatment decisions but may take regulatory action against dentists.

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

For concerns about overall quality and safety of care at our practice:

Phone: 03000 616161
Website: www.cqc.org.uk
Post: Care Quality Commission, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA

Privacy and GDPR Complaints

If your complaint relates to how we handle your personal data, you can complain to:

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Phone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

Please try to resolve data protection concerns with us first by contacting a1*******@***oo.com, but you have the right to complain directly to the ICO.

Continuous Improvement

We analyze complaints to identify patterns and opportunities for improvement:

• Monthly review of all complaints received
• Identification of recurring issues
• Implementation of preventive measures
• Staff training based on complaint themes
• Regular reporting to practice meetings
• Annual review of complaints procedure effectiveness

All staff are informed about relevant complaint outcomes (maintaining patient confidentiality) so lessons learned benefit all patients.

Handling Difficult Situations

While we welcome all legitimate complaints, we reserve the right to limit our engagement with complaints that are:

• Pursued in an aggressive, abusive, or threatening manner
• Repetitive despite thorough investigation and response
• Based on implausible or unfounded allegations
• Demanding disproportionate resources relative to the issue

In such cases, we may:

• Set limits on communication (specified methods or designated contact person only)
• Decline to investigate further after providing full response
• Report threatening behavior to police

This is exercised rarely and only after careful consideration.

Getting Help With Your Complaint

If you need assistance making a complaint:

Citizens Advice
Phone: 0800 144 8848
Website: www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Healthwatch Kent
Phone: 0808 801 0102
Website: www.healthwatchkent.co.uk

NHS Complaints Advocacy
Free, independent support for NHS complaints
Website: www.voiceability.org

These organizations provide free, independent advice and can help you formulate and submit complaints.

Submit a Complaint

Complaints Manager
A1 Dental Surgery
52 London Road
Canterbury
Kent CT2 8LF

Email: a1*******@***oo.com (subject: “Formal Complaint”)
Phone: 01227 765 851

We’re committed to resolving complaints fairly and using feedback to improve our services.