Complaints Policy

Last updated: July 2026

Our commitment to you

We want every patient at Brunner Court to have a positive experience. When something goes wrong, or when a patient feels their experience has fallen short of what they expected, we want to know about it.

We take every complaint seriously. We respond to concerns with care and without defensiveness, and we use every complaint as an opportunity to learn and improve. You will always be treated with respect and courtesy throughout the process, regardless of the nature of your concern.

How to raise a concern

If you have a concern about your treatment or your experience at the practice, the quickest way to resolve it is often to speak to the person involved at the time. Many concerns can be addressed immediately, without the need for a formal complaint.

If you are not comfortable doing that, or if the issue has not been resolved to your satisfaction, please contact us and ask to speak with Louise Barks, our Practice Coordinator, who will talk you through the complaints process and ensure your concern is handled promptly and sensitively.

Contact us:

• Telephone: 01606 44394
• In person: 95 Witton Street, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 5DR
• In writing: addressed to the Practice Coordinator at the above address

When to raise a complaint

We ask that complaints are raised as soon as possible after the issue occurs, as this makes it easier for us to investigate what happened accurately and fairly. As a general guide, please raise your complaint:

• Within six months of the incident that caused the problem, or
• Within six months of becoming aware that a problem exists, provided this is no more than twelve months after the incident itself

What happens after you complain

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

We will then investigate the matter thoroughly and aim to provide you with a full written response within 20 working days. If the investigation is taking longer than anticipated, we will keep you updated on progress at regular intervals until we are in a position to respond fully.

In investigating your complaint, we will aim to:

• Establish clearly what happened and where things went wrong
• Give you the opportunity to discuss the matter directly with those involved, if you would find that helpful
• Offer an apology where one is appropriate
• Identify the steps we will take to prevent the same problem from happening again

Complaining on behalf of someone else

We maintain strict confidentiality in relation to all patient information. If you are raising a complaint on behalf of another patient, we will need written confirmation that you have their permission to do so before we can discuss the details of their care with you.

This requirement does not apply where the patient is under 16 years of age or where they are unable to provide consent due to physical or mental incapacity.

Your external rights

We hope that our internal complaints process gives you the best opportunity to resolve any concern quickly and fairly. However, you are not required to use our internal process first, and raising a concern with us does not affect your right to contact an external body.

If you feel unable to raise your complaint with us directly, or if you are not satisfied with the outcome of our investigation, you can contact the following organisations for independent advice and support.

Dental Complaints Service For complaints about private dental treatment.

Dental Complaints Service Stephenson House 2 Cherry Orchard Road Croydon CR0 6BA

Telephone: 020 8253 0800 Email: info@dentalcomplaints.org.uk Website: dentalcomplaints.org.uk

General Dental Council The regulator for dental professionals in the UK. If you have concerns about the fitness to practise of a dental professional, the GDC can advise.

General Dental Council 37 Wimpole Street London W1M 8DQ

Telephone: 020 7887 3800 Email: complaints@gdc-uk.org Website: gdc-uk.org

Care Quality Commission The CQC regulates and inspects dental practices in England. If you have concerns about the safety or quality of care at a dental practice, you can share these with the CQC.

Website: cqc.org.uk Telephone: 03000 616161

A note for patients who received NHS treatment Brunner Court Dental & Implant Practice is a fully private practice and does not provide NHS dental treatment. If you received NHS treatment at another practice and wish to raise a complaint about that care, you can contact NHS England.

NHS England PO Box 16738 Redditch B97 9PT

Telephone: 01244 650400 Website: england.nhs.uk

Contact us

If you have a concern or complaint, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We would always rather hear from you.

Brunner Court Dental & Implant Practice 95 Witton Street Northwich Cheshire CW9 5DR

Telephone: 01606 44394 Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 6.30pm