Clinic Policies

Professional Registration

The General Dental Council (GDC) is the regulatory body of the dental profession in the United Kingdon. Their address is 37 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 8DQ and their telephone number is 020 7887 3800.Our dentists and staff adhere to the rules governing the profession by the GDC as set out in their publication “Standards for Dental Professionals”. You can find out more about the GDC on their website www.gdc-uk.org.

Data Protection

Our clinic fully complies with the Data Protection Act 1998. It is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office as SPA DENTAL WOTTON LLP, registration number Z9592350. Our practice data controller is Tim Esau. To download the ICO guide to data protection please click here.

Patient Confidentiality

Our practice adheres to the standards for patient confidentiality as set out by our regulatory body the General Dental Council. You can see details of this by downloading their guide “Principles of Patient Confidentiality”.

To see our Privacy Notice,please click here

Complaints Procedure – Information for Patients

It is our aim to  always have satisfied patients, to meet your expectations of care and service, and to resolve any complaints as efficiently, 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 or 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. If you do not feel you can raise a complaint about your NHS service directly with us, you can address your complaint directly to (see below to complete this section)

Stacey Tollerton is the Complaints Manager and will be your personal contact to assist you with any complaints.(see below to complete this section).

You can send your complaints to Wotton Dental Clinic, 43-45 Long Street, Wotton Under Edge, Gloucestershire, GL12 7BX, call us on 01453 844428 or email the Complaints Manager on s.tollerton@nhs.net. 

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 ten 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 as 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.

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.

If you are dissatisfied with our response to a complaint, you can contact the GDC private dental complaints service within 12 months of the treatment or within 12 months of becoming aware of the issue. Please see the contact details below.

Contacts

GDC private dental complaints service can be contacted by calling 020 8253 0800 or visiting Complaints and concerns (gdc-uk.org)

If you are still unhappy about your NHS complaint, you can contact (see below to complete this section).

You can also contact (see below to complete this section] who may be able to help).

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 7167 6000.

INFORMATION SECTION 

NHS England: NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board  

Email:  glicb.enquiries@nhs.net 

Phone: 01452 943323 (Office Reception) 

By post: 
NHS Gloucestershire
Shire Hall
Westgate Street
Gloucester
GL1 2TG 

They aim to acknowledge complaints in writing (email or letter) within three working days of receipt and to resolve any concern efficiently and effectively within a timescale agreed with you. It is very helpful if you can provide us with a telephone number when you contact us so that we can talk to you about your feedback and agree the best way forward.

Direct process: 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

In England = the Parliamentary Health Ombudsman (England): by calling 0345 015 4033 or visiting www.ombudsman.org.uk

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) who regulates private and NHS dental care services in England by calling 03000 616161. They can take action against a service provider that is not meeting their standards

Freedom of Information Policy

The practice is committed to comply with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which gives the public the right to know how public services are organised and run, how much they cost and how the decisions are made. It is the aim of the practice to ensure that members of the public have access to the identified classes of information.

When a member of the public makes a request to see the Practice Publication Scheme s/he is directed to Tim Esau who provides them with a copy of the scheme, describing how the information can be obtained and the cost of providing it.

The classes of information provided by the scheme include:

• Organisational information, structures, location and contacts
• Financial information relating to projected and actual income and expenditure, procurement, contracts and financial audit
• Strategies and plans, performance indicators, audits, inspections and reviews
• Decision making processes and records of decisions
• Current written protocols, policies and procedures for delivering our services and responsibilities
• Currently maintained lists and registers
• Information about the services we offer, including leaflets, guidance and newsletters produced from the public and businesses