Complaints procedure

We aim to meet your expectations of care and service every time, and to resolve any complaint as efficiently, effectively and politely as we can. We investigate every complaint fully and fairly, protect your confidentiality, and learn from what you tell us. We will never treat you differently for having made a complaint, and we’re happy to answer any questions about this procedure.

How to complain

If something hasn’t gone the way it should, please let us know as soon as possible so we can put it right promptly. We accept complaints made verbally as well as in writing — in person, by phone, by email or by letter to your practice. Every member of staff is trained to listen and, where possible, resolve a verbal complaint straight away; we aim to resolve verbal complaints within 24 hours where we can. If it can’t be resolved immediately, it’s passed to the practice’s Complaints Manager, who will be your personal contact throughout. If the Complaints Manager isn’t available, we’ll take brief details and arrange a meeting at a time that suits you and the practice.

For a written complaint, we acknowledge within 3 practice working days and aim to give a full response within 15 practice working days. If an investigation takes longer than expected, we’ll keep you updated at least every ten working days on progress and the likely completion date. When it’s complete, you’ll receive a written response addressing each of your concerns, and we’ll offer to meet or speak with you to discuss it. Resolutions can include repeating treatment, refunding fees, referring you for specialist treatment, or another outcome that works for you. We keep a comprehensive, confidential record of every complaint, stored securely and seen only by those who need to know, and we regularly review complaints to learn from them and improve our service.

Contact your practice

• Earls Barton — Complaints Manager Rachel Algar. Call 01604 810383, email earlsbarton@tgsdentalsuite.com, or write to or visit the practice at TG’s Dental Suite, 15 The Square, Earls Barton, NN6 0NA.
• Scraptoft / Leicester — Complaints Manager Karen McClelland. Call 0116 276 0619, email leicester@tgsdentalsuite.com, or write to or visit the practice at TG’s Dental Suite, 345 Scraptoft Lane, Scraptoft, Leicester, LE7 9SE.
• Ashby-de-la-Zouch — Complaints Manager Lydia Bullock. Call 01530 415521, email ashby@tgsdentalsuite.com, or write to or visit the practice at TG’s Dental Suite, 24 South Street, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, LE65 1BR.
• Rugby — Complaints Manager Georgia McHugh. Call 01788 832346, email rugby@tgsdentalsuite.com, or write to or visit the practice at TG’s Dental Suite, 33 Coventry Road, Pailton, Rugby, CV23 0QD.
• Higham Ferrers — Complaints Manager Dawn Arthurs. Call 01933 318481, email higham@tgsdentalsuite.com, or write to or visit the practice at TG’s Dental Suite, 69 High Street, Rushden, Higham Ferrers, NN10 8DD.

Where the outcome isn’t what you hoped for, we’ll give you details of independent advice and advocacy support.

If you remain unhappy

For private treatment, you can contact the Dental Complaints Service within 12 months of the treatment, or within 12 months of becoming aware of the issue: call 020 8253 0800 or visit dentalcomplaints.org.uk.

The General Dental Council regulates all dental professionals and can be contacted using their online complaints form at gdc-uk.org, by emailing information@gdc-uk.org, or by calling 020 7167 6000.

The Care Quality Commission regulates private and NHS dental care services in England and can take action against a provider not meeting its standards; you can contact them by calling 03000 616161. (We don’t link to the CQC directly from this site — call or search for them if you’d like to look them up.)

If any of your treatment was NHS-funded, you can also contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman by calling 0345 015 4033 or visiting ombudsman.org.uk.

Complaints about a finance agreement

If your complaint relates to a finance agreement or credit plan used to fund your treatment, and you remain unhappy 8 weeks after first raising it with us, you can contact the Financial Ombudsman Service by calling 0800 023 4567 or visiting financial-ombudsman.org.uk. You must refer a finance complaint to them within 6 months of our final response.