Complaints Policy and Procedure

Purpose

  • To provide a clear complaints process for patients to use when they wish to make a complaint about the service or treatment they have received at Lura Care
  • To ensure all complaints are dealt with promptly and the patient is kept informed throughout the process
  • To ensure complaint outcomes are recorded and lessons learnt where required

Scope

This policy applies to the following people visiting or working at Lura Care:

  • PatientsDentists
  • Dental Care Professionals
  • Admin staff
  • Temporary staff
  • Volunteers


Information for patients wishing to make a complaint 

  • All of your feedback is important to us
  • We want to make it easy for you to raise a concern or complain, if you need to ● We follow a complaints procedure and keep you informed
  • We will try to answer all your questions and any concerns you raise
  • We want you to have a positive experience of making a complaint
  • Your feedback helps us to improve our service

Complaints Manager

Isabelle Leese is Lura Care’s Complaints Manager. Isabelle Leese is responsible for managing the procedures for handling and considering  complaints. If the Complaints Manager is unavailable, for example because they are on annual  leave, the complaints process may be conducted by another person authorised to act on their  behalf.

Making a complaint 

Many issues can be resolved quickly by speaking directly to the staff at Lura Care, if you wish to raise a complaint in person please feel free to approach any of our team who will be happy to assist you. If you make your complaint verbally, a record of your complaint will be made and you will be provided with a written copy.

You can also make a complaint to us in the following ways:

Email us at [email protected]
Call us on 020 4529 2268
Write to us at Unit 2 Hill Business Park 219 High Street, Hampton Hill, London, TW12 1NP

Please note that patient complaints should normally be made within 12 months of an incident or of it coming to your attention. This time limit can be extended provided you have good reasons for not making the complaint sooner and it’s possible to complete a fair investigation.

If you’re complaining on behalf of someone else, include their written consent with your letter (if you’re making your complaint in writing) as this will speed up the process. If the person cannot give their consent, for example, if they have died or lack mental capacity, or are a child who cannot complain for themselves, you may be able to complain for them.

Complaints Handling

Lura Care has arrangements in place for dealing with patient complaints which ensures that:

  • Complaints are dealt with efficiently
  • Complaints are properly investigated
  • Complainants are treated with respect and courtesy
  • Complainants receive (so far as is reasonably practical) assistance to enable them to understand the procedure in relation to complaints, or advice on where they may obtain such assistance
  • Complainants receive a timely and appropriate response
  • Complainants are told the outcome of the investigation of their complaint
  • Action is taken if necessary in the light of the outcome of a complaint


Complaints Process

The patient will receive an acknowledgement from the Complaints Manager and  the offer of a discussion about the handling of their complaint within 3 working days of the  complaint being received. 

Lura Care aims to investigate and resolve all complaints within ten working days wherever  possible. If investigations take longer than anticipated, the patient will be informed of the  reasons for the delay and will be given an expected period within which the investigation will  be completed. 

Once the complaint has been investigated, the patient will receive a written response. The  response will set out the Complaints Manager’s findings and, where appropriate,  provide apologies and information about what’s being done as a result of the complaint. It will  also include information about how the complaint has been handled and details of the  patient’s right to take their complaint to the relevant ombudsman.


Investigating and responding to complaints

The Complaints Manager will: 

  • Investigate the complaint in a manner appropriate to resolve it speedily and efficiently 
  • During the investigation, keep the complainant informed, as far as reasonably  practicable, as to the progress of the investigation

As soon as reasonably practicable after completing the investigation, the Complaints Manager will send the complainant in writing a signed response which includes a  report incorporating the following: 

  • An explanation of how the complaint has been considered.
  • The conclusions reached in relation to the complaint, including any matters for which  the complaint specifies, or that the Complaints Manager considers, that  remedial action is needed.
  • Confirmation as to whether the Complaints Manager is satisfied that any  action needed as a result of the complaint has been taken or is proposed to be taken.


What to do if a patient is unhappy with the outcome of their complaint 


If a patient has a complaint about the service or treatment received by Lura Care, but they have been unable to resolve this with the dental professional, they can contact the Dental Complaints Service.

The Dental Complaints Service can look into private complaints that are raised within 12 months of the treatment taking place, or within 12 months of a patient becoming aware that they have something to complain about.

The Dental Complaints Service provide a free and impartial service funded by the General Dental Council, the organisation that regulates dental professionals in the UK and can be contacted in the following ways:

  • Telephone: 0208 253 0800 (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm)
  • Online: Through their enquiry form – Dental Complaints Service (gdc-uk.org)
  • Write to: Dental Complaints Service, 37 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 8DQ


    You can also tell the Care Quality Commission (CQC) about your concern in the following ways:
  • Write to them: Care Quality Commission (England), Citygate, Gallowgate Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PA
  • Telephone them: 0300 061 6161
  • Text them: Textphone Relay UK – 18001 03000 616161 Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm
  • Email them: [email protected]
  • Contact them through their website: www.cqc.org.uk

Learning from Complaints

Lura Care records all complaints, and investigates them fully. Feedback will always be given  to team members where mistakes have been made and processes reviewed and changed  where needed to ensure they do not happen again. Any patients or team members raising a  concern or complaint about a team member will be protected from discrimination, harassment  or disadvantage.

Definitions

  • The General Dental Council (GDC) is the UK-wide statutory regulator of over 114,000 members of the dental team. Their primary purpose is to protect patient safety and maintain public confidence in the dental professions. They register qualified dental professionals, set standards for the dental team, investigate complaints about dental professional’s fitness to practice, and work to ensure the quality of dental education.
  • The Dental Complaints Service are a team of trained advisors who aim to help private dental patients and dental professionals settle complaints about private dental care fairly and efficiently. They provide a free and impartial service funded by the General Dental Council.
  • The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England.They make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and they encourage services to improve.


References

  • Citizens Advice – NHS and social care complaints: Get advice about health costs  and services – Citizens Advice.
  • GOV.UK – The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service  Complaints (England) Regulations 2009: The Local Authority Social Services and  National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 (legislation.gov.uk)
  • GDC – Dental complaints service: Dental Complaints Service (gdc-uk.org)
  • CQC- Dental Mythbuster 34: Complaints management: Dental mythbuster 34: Complaints management – Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk) 
  • GDC – Complaint handling best practice: Complaint handling (gdc-uk.org)