Complaints Procedure

Our Commitment

Heritage Smile Group is committed to providing a high standard of clinical care and patient experience at both our Wilmslow and Northwich practices. We recognise that things do not always go as expected, and we take every concern raised by our patients seriously.

If you are unhappy with any aspect of your treatment, your care, or your experience with us, we want to hear from you. Every complaint received is treated with respect, investigated properly, and responded to in writing.

How to Make a Complaint

 In the First Instance We ask that you raise your concern with the practice team in the first instance. This can be done in person at either practice, by telephone, or in writing by email or post.

• Croft Dental and Implant Practice, Wilmslow Tel: 01625 523 524 Email: [Croft email address] Address: [Full Croft address]
• Brunner Court Dental and Implant Practice, Northwich Tel: 01606 44394 Email: [Brunner Court email address] Address: [Full Brunner Court address]

 In Writing If you would prefer to raise your complaint in writing, please address it to the Practice Manager at the relevant practice address above. We recommend keeping a copy of any correspondence for your own records.

What Happens Next

We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days of receiving it.

We will investigate your complaint thoroughly. This may involve reviewing clinical records, speaking with the clinicians and team members involved, and, where relevant, seeking input from an independent clinical advisor.

We aim to provide a full written response within ten working days of acknowledging your complaint. Where a more complex investigation is required and a longer timeframe is needed, we will keep you informed of progress.

Our response will explain what we found, what action we have taken or will take as a result, and any steps we are taking to prevent a similar situation arising.

If You Are Not Satisfied

If your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction through our internal process, you have the right to escalate it to an external body. You do not need to wait for our internal process to be exhausted before contacting an external organisation if you prefer not to.

• Dental Complaints Service For complaints about private dental treatment, the Dental Complaints Service provides a free, impartial conciliation service.

Website: dentalcomplaints.org.uk Telephone: 020 8253 0800

•  General Dental Council The GDC is the regulatory body for dental professionals in the UK. If you have concerns about the fitness to practise of a GDC-registered clinician, you can raise this directly with the GDC.

Website: gdc-uk.org Telephone: 020 7167 6000

• Care Quality Commission The CQC regulates and inspects health and care services in England, including dental practices. If you have concerns about the safety or quality of care at our practices, you can contact the CQC.

Website: cqc.org.uk Telephone: 03000 616161

•  NHS England If your complaint relates to an NHS-funded element of your treatment, you may also contact NHS England.

Website: england.nhs.uk Telephone: 0300 311 2233

Record Keeping

We keep a record of all complaints received and their outcomes. This helps us identify patterns and make improvements to our care and services. Records are kept in confidence and in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Our Promise to You

We do not treat patients who complain any differently from those who do not. Making a complaint will have no impact on the care you receive at either of our practices. If at any point you feel this is not the case, please let us know immediately.

Contact Us

For any questions about our complaints procedure before making a formal complaint, please do not hesitate to contact either practice directly. We would rather resolve a concern informally and quickly than have a patient feel they have no other option.