Dental News - New universal complaint handling initiative welcomed by British dental industry

Dental Tribune UK

Mon. 3. December 2018

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LONDON, UK: The General Dental Council (GDC), working in conjunction with 28 organisations from across the dental industry, has developed a set of universal practices for good complaint handling. The six core principles have been developed with the aim of providing a clearer picture for patients about what they can expect when they provide feedback or make a complaint.

The six core principles of good complaint handling put forward by the GDC are as follows:

All of your feedback is important to us.
We want to make it easy for you to raise a concern or complaint if you need to.
We follow a complaint procedure and keep you informed.
We will try to answer all your questions and any concerns you raise.
We want you to have a positive experience of making a complaint.
Your feedback helps us to improve our service.

Regarding the principles, Dr Joe Noar, Director for Clinical Governance at the British Orthodontic Society, commented: “We very much support the ethos behind this initiative. The aim of the working group was to encourage dental teams to seek feedback directly from patients so issues can be remedied in the workplace or a soon as possible. If we can help resolve complaints at a local level through constructive dialogue and negotiation, it’s in everybody’s best interests.”

The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS) was also quick to announce its support of the complaint handing guidelines. “Patient complaints are among the most common reasons dentists contact MDDUS for advice. We are pleased to be part of this new initiative that will further encourage effective complaint handling via six core principles of good complaints handling,” said head of MDDUS’s dental division Aubrey Craig.

“In our experience, early local action is the key to defusing complaints,” he continued. “Most complaints can be resolved with a swift and careful response, communicating effectively with the patient and listening to and addressing their concerns. Many patients simply want an explanation or an apology, if appropriate, as well as reassurance that steps have been taken to minimise the chances of any errors happening again.”

The working group’s aim is for the principles to be clearly displayed and accessible in all clinical dental settings by May 2019. More details about the initiative can be found here.

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