Complaints Policy

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 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 the local Health Board

Felicity Garbett is the Complaints Manager and will be your personal contact to assist you with any complaints you may have. It your verbal complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction within 24 hours or if you complain in writing, the complaints manager will acknowledge it in writing within 2 working days and will aim to provide a full response in writing within 30 working days.

You can send your complaints to 35 Castle Square, Caernarfon LL55 2NN, call us on 01286 673174 and choose option 3 or email the Complaints Manager.

If the Complaints Manager is unavailable, we will take brief details about the complaint and will arrange for a meeting or phone call 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 by 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 10 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 it’s outcome in writing. We will make our response clear, addressing each of your concerns as best 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 compliant you can take the matter further, please see contacts below.

Contacts

For private dental treatment, 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 by calling 020 8253 0800 or visiting www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk.

If you feel that the practice is not meeting it’s duties regarding the Welsh Language you can raise your concern with the Welsh Language Comissioner by calling 0845 6033 221 or visiting www.comisiynyddygymraeg.cymru.

If you would like support or advice regarding you NHS complaint you can contact the local Community Health Council by calling 01286 674971. If you are still unhappy about your NHS complaint, you can contact the Ombudsman for Wales by calling 0300 790 0203 or visiting www.ombudsman-wales.org.uk. You can also contact Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) who is the independent inspectorate and regulator of all healthcare in Wales by calling 0300 062 8163.