Patient complaints are inevitable, but your response defines whether they escalate or lead to practice improvement. As a dental practice owner, you need a complaint handling system that encourages feedback, resolves issues calmly and defensibly, and protects both your reputation and your team.
Our full guidance helps practice owners design and apply a robust complaint handling system - from acknowledging complaints, to resolving them consistently. You will get practical steps in the form of advice plus downloadable templates.
This page covers what most practice owners want to know. Members can log in to read the full guidance and download resources. Extra, Expert or employed Essential members can also reach our advisory team by phone or email for unlimited, individual support.
Contents
- Overview – purpose, preventing escalation and learning from complaints
- Handling complaints positively – mindset, early resolution and team roles
- Resolving complaints – investigation, response, follow-up and learning
- Practice procedure – designing your internal complaint process, duties, timescales
- NHS rules – statutory complaints framework, NHS vs private distinctions
- Frequently asked questions
How quickly must a dental practice acknowledge a complaint? Dental practices should aim to acknowledge patient complaints in writing within 3 working days, offering the complainant a copy of your complaints handling procedure and an estimated timeframe for full response.
Can a complaint be resolved without a formal investigation? Yes - many complaints can be resolved informally or promptly by staff at first point of contact. If the patient accepts your solution and the issue is minor, the process can end there. If not, it should escalate to a formal investigation.
What must a response to a dental complaint include? Your response should be clear, factual and professional. Identify who is replying – this may be the practice or the associate, depending on whether the matter is clinical, address each concern, explain what you found, offer remedy where appropriate and outline steps taken to prevent recurrence. Use plain language, not dental terminology.
Do NHS dental practices need to follow special complaint rules? Yes. NHS dental practices must comply with statutory complaints regulations set by the Public Body, meeting the timescales determined by the body. Private practices should broadly adopt a procedure consistent with NHS standards.
How should a practice learn from complaints and prevent recurrence? Use complaints: as an opportunity to improve. You can track trends, share lessons with your team, update procedures or training, and audit your responses annually. Complaints data should feed into quality improvement.
How we can help
We specialise in advising dental practice owners. Our step-by-step guidance aligns with GDC standards, NHS rules and best practice, so you can manage complaints with confidence.
Why trust us?
Dentistry has its own complexities - small teams, patient expectations, regulatory pressures. Our advisors combine clinical, legal and practice management expertise so that your complaints handling is professional and practical for your team.
If you face a difficult complaint or want help designing complaints handling procedures, log in or join us to access the full guidance and download resources. Extra, Expert and employed Essential members can also contact our advisors by phone or email for one-to-one support. For clinical complaints, indemnity members can also contact our indemnity team.
