A new complaints handling procedure for Northern Ireland - what you need to know

Chair, Northern Ireland Dental Practice Committee (NIDPC)

Ciara graduated from Birmingham University in 1996 obtaining her MFGDP in 1998. She has been a member of NIDPC for over a decade and is now in her second term as Chair.
Ciara is a practicing clinician and sole owner of a seven surgery mixed NHS and private dental practice in Downpatrick providing high quality private, implant and cosmetic dentistry alongside family NHS dentistry to more than 10,000 active patients. Having owned a successful dental business for more than twenty years, Ciara is fully cognizant of the rising pressures of providing high quality dental care under an increasingly pinched budget.

Director – Improvement, Engagement & Impact
Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO)

Julie joined NIPSO in January 2022 and her role aims to promote public understanding of the NIPSO office, support good complaint handling and share learning from NIPSO investigations to improve public services. Before joining NIPSO Julie worked in both academia and the voluntary and community sector and was an Assistant Director for the children’s charity Barnardo’s for almost 20 years.

Good Practice Adviser, BDA

Elisa has over 10 years’ experience in dental nursing and practice management both in the UK and Australia. Her passion for creating the best possible patient journey and the importance of leadership and teamwork within the dental practice led her to take up the role in BDA Good Practice. As part of this team, Elisa provides feedback and guidance on the many policies and procedures within the practice and the ways in which these can be utilised and improved to maximise benefit for patients and the dental team.