Fulwell: 0191 548 3822
John Street: 0191 567 2604
Practice Plan: 07460 786570 / 07460 790838
We endeavour to provide the highest of quality dental care to all our patients. If you make a complaint we will deal with it seriously, from a duty of care and with the utmost respect. We will aim to resolve any issues, where possible, swiflty and to your satisifaction as outlined below.
PATIENT PROCEDURE FOR COMPAINTS.
1. Complaints can be made in person, via telephone, in writing or by email.
2. All complaints will be forwarded to our Practice Manager, janice Jones who will deal with your complaint swiftly and sensitively. Complaints will be ackowledged within 2 working days.
3. Please include your contact details (name, number / email) when leaving a complaint so we have a means to respond.
4. All complaints will be reviewed and considered fairly. If the complaint is taking an extended period of time to review, you will be kept up-to-date whilst it is under investigation.
5. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, the complaint can then be referred to:
Complaints
NHS England
PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT
By email to: england.contactus@nhs.net
By telephone:0300 311 22 33 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, excluding English Bank Holidays)
Or the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank London SW1P 4QP, telephone: 0345 015 4033 or www.ombudsman.org.uk for complaints about NHS treatment.
The Dental Complaints Service, The Lansdowne Building, 2 Lansdowne Road, Croydon, Greater London CR9 2ER, 08456 120 540 or www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk for complaints about private treatment.
This information below details of our terms and conditions of service. If, however, you have any queries or need clarification, please contact us and a member of staff will be happy to help you.
Please be aware that any information provided through any part of our social media platforms, including our website is for guidance & informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. No professional advice can be given without a clinical consultation with a dentist. For professional dental advice we strongly recommend that you see one of our dentists for a consultation.
TREATMENT PLANNING:
Once your treatment plan has been agreed with the Dentist, we will provide printed details of your plan. If this plan changes due to radiographic or clinical findings, we will inform you and discuss this with you. If there are any points on your treatment plan that you wish to query, please do not hesitate to ask us, before any appointments for actual treatments are made.
CONSENT FORMS:
Certain treatments require completion of a written consent form. This is in order to explain the treatment, aftercare and any risk to you thoroughly, before any of these treatments are carried out.
PAYMENTS:
Payments for treatment are due on the day the treatment is provided. In some circumstances, we reserve the right to request payment in advance for certain treatments. Payment methods accepted are:
Where treatment incurs a laboratory fee, at least 50% of the total fee is due at the appointment where impressions are taken. Fees for certain treatments like Dental Implants and IV Sedation are taken in staged payments at each visit. We will discuss and plan a schedule of payment for you.
The fees displayed on our website are for guidance purposes and we reserve the rights to change them at any time.
The cost of the treatment may vary depending of the complexity of the case and suitability of the patient. You will be provided with a full written treatment plan after your consultation with the dentist.
Silver & Charlton Dental Practice reserves the right to charge time-based deposits for future appointments. Deposits are deductible off the cost of treatment.
Silver & Charlton Dental Practice reserves the right to make a charge for any debt passed to a debt collection agency.
All the fees applied for any form of dental treatment at the practice are based on; the materials used, laboratory costs incurred (if applicable), and the clinical time spent. The fees are however, demonstrated as treatments prescribed on the treatment plan for your information.
LATE CANCELLATION OR MISSED APPOINTMENTS:
Silver & Charlton Dental Practice reserves the right to charge up to £100 per hour, in the event of a missed appointment or an appointment cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice. For appointments longer than 1 hour, we require at least 48 hours advance notice. In some cases, being late for appointments can be unavoidable. However, if you are very late, please be aware that you may be asked to reschedule your appointment.
CANCELLATIONS AND FAILED APPOINTMENTS:
We require a minimum of 24 hours’ notice for cancellation of any arranged appointment. When we schedule an appointment for a patient, we are booking the surgery time off for that patient’s treatment. Failure to give the appropriate notice of cancellation will result in a Failed Appointment Fee being charged. This fee is proportionate to the length of the appointment failed and is to cover the cost of the surgery time wasted.
Failed Appointment Fees must be settled before any other appointment is offered.
PERSONAL DETAILS:
It is very important that you give a full medical history and details of any medication you take. Should these change in any way, it is very important for you to tell your Dentist. It is the patient’s responsibility to inform the practice of any changes in either personal details and/or their medical history.
USE OF PERSONAL DETAILS:
At Silver & Charlton Dental Practice the health of our patients is our highest priority, and we also like to keep our patients informed of various important changes at the practice.
We like to remind our patients of their appointments, when they are due and other various important reminders. On this note, you may be periodically contacted by the practice via phone, text, email or by letter in the post. If you DO NOT wish to be contacted by the clinic by any or all of these means, please let us know.
COMPLAINTS POLICY:
At Silver & Charlton Dental Practice we always take complaints about any aspects of our services very seriously, in order to ensure that every patient has only the very best experience at all times. Complaints can be made in writing to our Practice Manager, Janice Jones.
Every complaint will receive immediate written/email acknowledgement, and the Management will strive to resolve the complaint within a quick, reasonable period of time (usually about 2 weeks). For our full complaints procedure and policy, please click here or ask a member of our reception team.
If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges it will normally be acknowledged by the Management and then referred to dentist concerned.
If you are unsatisfied with our internal handling of your complaint, you are free to forward your complaint to the Dental Complaints Service. 37 Wimpole Street, London W16.
ABUSE POLICIY:
At Silver & Charlton Dental Practice we operate a zero-tolerance policy of abuse to our staff. Loud/disorderly/aggressive or drunken behaviour will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to refuse you treatment and cancel any subsequent appointments you may have.
DATA PROTECTION ACT:
We store all patient personal details on a secure system in accordance with the Data Protection Act. All clinical notes, digital radiographs, digital photographs etc. remain the property of Silver & Charlton Dental Practice. Copies of notes, radiographs and photographs can be made available on request.
GUARANTEED TREATMENT:
The guarantee covers like for like treatment only.
Please note any treatment resulting from trauma may not be covered under the guarantee period.
John St: 0191 567 2604 | Fulwell: 0191 548 3822
Practice Plan: 07460 786570 / 07460 790838
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© 2020 by Silver & Charlton Dental
Updated October 2024