In December last year, the RDSPB report established that:
- The dental complaints system is seen as complex and confusing for patients, providers and regulators — especially given the mixed public/private provision of dental services.
- Overlaps between organisations bring a lack of clarity, with multiple organisations potentially responsible for different aspects of the same complaint.
- There is a lack of consistency: different organisations are subject to different timeframes for dealing with complaints and cover different nations of the UK.
- Patients who initially approach the ‘wrong’ body may then be lost to the system completely.
In March 2016, stakeholders from across the system, including frontline dentists, consumer groups, professional bodies, were brought together to help create a single understanding of how complaints should be handled to improve consistency and address the points above.
This workshop, and subsequent feedback from the sector over the summer, has resulted in the creation of a new single public facing statement on dental complaints which all RDSPB organisations have signed up to and will now be promoting in order to help dental professionals ensure complaints are handled more effectively.
The intention is for all parts of the dentist system to use the new statement across websites and promotional material so that patients get consistent and clear messages about what to do when they have a problem with their dental treatment. Providers will be able to check that their patient facing materials and processes are compatible with the statement.
Janet Williamson, deputy chief inspector of general practice and dentistry at the Care Quality Commission, said: “Navigating through a complex and confusing complaints process has been an ongoing frustration for patients and dental providers. This clarity of roles in the system and how local resolution must be the priority has been a key focus for the RDSPB. As chair, I welcome the launch of the complaints statement.”