Complaints Resolution Policy

At Anniesland Essential Dental Care our aim is to give the best possible care and treatment to our patients. All feedback, comments, concerns and complaints about our services are encouraged and welcomed from our patients and are viewed as a positive way of looking at what we do and making changes to improve our service to you.

Feedback and Complaints Officers

The practice Feedback and Complaints Officers are is Mr. H. Halavat-Kar (Practice Principal) and Mrs M. Motamed (Practice Manager), Anniesland Essential Dental Care , 972-974 Crow Road, Glasgow G13 1JN, Tel: 0141 959 4163, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. They are responsible for the management and handling of feedback, comments, concerns and complaints and for seeing complaints through to resolution.

Feedback, Comments and Concerns

Our patients have the right to give feedback, make comments and express concerns, which we encourage to be expressed by using one of the following methods:

  • in person
  • by telephone
  • online
  • in writing, or
  • by using the practice suggestion box.

We also employ a patient survey/questionnaire to monitor our service. Our aim is to sort out any concerns patients may have on the spot, however if this is not possible, you have the opportunity to speak to an appropriate member of staff or the practice’s Feedback and Complaints Officer, especially if the views expressed should be dealt with as a complaint (see below). Feedback from patients will be documented, reviewed and discussed at practice meetings and used to improve the services we provide.

Complaints about NHS Treatment

Our patients have the right to make complaints about

  • the NHS care or treatment they have had or are having at the practice
  • the practice services or facilities
  • a member of staff
  • how services in the local area are organised if this has affected their care or treatment.

Patients cannot make a complaint:

  • about anything they are taking legal action about. NB: we always offer to resolve a complaint through the complaints procedure before legal action commences.
  • to request a second opinion in respect of care or treatment
  • about a previously conducted complaint, or a request to have a complaint reconsidered where we have already given a final decision.

Anyone such as a parent, guardian, carer, relative, friend or MSP may raise a complaint on behalf of a patient, provided they have the patient’s permission to do so. Situations where consent or permission from the patient may not be needed could be if the complaint is on behalf of a child, or if the patient is not able to make this complaint themselves or are unable to provide consent. 

Complaints must normally be made within 6 months of the event the patient wants to complain about, or the patient finding out that he/she has reason to complain, but no longer than 12 months after the event itself.

In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to accept a complaint after the time limit. If a patient feels the time limit should not apply to their complaint they will need to tell us why. If we decide that, because of the time that has passed since the incident occurred, we cannot consider the complaint, the patient can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to review our decision.

Patients can complain to the practice in person, by phone, or in writing. If the patient intends to e-mail or fax their complaint, please be advised that other people may be able to see their personal information.

If you wish not to complain directly to the practice, details of the practice’s complaints procedure and the contact details of the practice’s Feedback and Complaints Officer, Greater Glasgow and Clyde Feedback and Complaints Team and the Patient Advice and Support Service (PASS) are provided on a poster in the waiting room as well as below.

Complaining on behalf of a patient

Someone can make a complaint on behalf of a patient where they:

  • Have the patient’s consent to complain - we may require this in writing;
  • Are a parent, guardian or main carer of a child and the child is not mature enough to understand how to complain;
  • Have a welfare power of attorney or a welfare guardianship order for someone who cannot make decisions for themselves, and the order specifies that they have the power to make a complaint about healthcare;
  • Are a relative of, or had a relationship with, a patient who has died and they are concerned about how their relative was treated before they died; or
  • Are acting as an advocate for the patient.

Complaints Procedure

We aim to deal with all complaints promptly, courteously and efficiently and preferably on-the-spot. If complaints cannot be dealt with on-the-spot, we have a two-stage complaints handling procedure:

  • Stage 1: Early Stage resolution
  • Stage 2: Investigation

We will always consider if a complaint can be dealt with at Stage 1. However, if we think the complaint is too complex or serious and clearly needs to be investigated, we will go straight to Stage 2. Patients also have the right to ask for an Investigation (without going through Stage 1).

Complaints about private treatment

We follow the same complaints procedure for complaints about private treatment. However, if you require help with making a complaint, or if you are not satisfied with our response to their complaint, the Dental Complaints Service (a department of the General Dental Council) offers a complaints resolution service for private dental patients and dentists (see Contacts).

Change of mind

Patients can change their mind about making a complaint at any time. They can do this in writing or by phone.

If you are still not happy with our response to your complaint

If you are still not happy with our response, or if you are not happy with the way we are dealing with your complaint, e.g. if you think we are taking too long, you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to consider your complaint further.

We hope that you will use our Practice Complaints Procedure. We believe this will provide the best chance of resolving the complaint, and an opportunity for us to improve our practice to prevent the same complaint being repeated.

If you feel that you are dissatisfied with the results of our investigation, or wish to make your complaint outside the local resolution procedures, then the complaint may be taken to:

Patient Advice and Support Service

available via Citizens Advice Scotland. http://www.patientadvicescotland.org.uk

NHS Inform

Helpline 0800 22 44 88 (textphone 18001 0800 22 44 88); www.nhsinform.co.uk; the Looking Local iPhone app; NHSScotland’s Digital TV Service (Sky and Virgin Media).

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Feedback and Complaints Manager:

Complaint Officer, JB Russell House, Gartnavel Royal Hospital Campus, 1055 Great Western Road, Glasgow, G12 0XH, Tel: 0141 201 4550

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO)

Bridgeside House, 99 McDonald Road, Edinburgh EH7 4NS
Tel.: 0800 377 7330
www.spso.org.uk
Open from 9.00am – 5.00pm (Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri), from 10.00am – 5.00pm (Tue)

General Dental Services (for complaints about private treatment)

Dental Complaints Service
Stephenson House
2 Cherry Orchard Road
Croydon
CRO 6BA
Tel.: 08456 120 540 at local rate (Mon-Fri, 9.00am – 5.00pm)
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk

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