Dealing with a complaint professionally and promptly can be an opportunity to show your practice at its best, says Lesley Taylor, dento-legal adviser at the DDU
As a dental defence organisation, the DDU supports members with patient complaints and sees first-hand how the right approach can make all the difference.
What is a complaint?
The NHS Complaints Standards say a complaint is “an expression of dissatisfaction – either spoken or written – that requires a response. It can be about an act, omission or decision made, or the standard of service provided.”
In a dental practice, patients might complain about clinical matters such as substandard treatment or an adverse incident, or non-clinical matters such as waiting times, perceived rudeness, appointment availability or fees. A single incident can often trigger a complaint about several different things.
Written complaints about NHS dental services rose from 11,867 in 2016/17 to 14,282 in 2024/25, according to NHS England. The top six causes for complaint in 2024/25 were:
- Clinical treatment (4,428)
- Appointment availability/length (1,744)
- Communications (1,722)
- Removal from list (1,413)
- Charges (1,392)
- Staff attitude/behaviour/values (1,226)
The GDC has issued a joint statement on complaints handling with the DDU and other professional bodies, setting out six principles patients would expect:
- All of your feedback is important to us.
- We want to make it easy for you to raise a concern or complain, if you need to.
- We follow a complaints 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.
How to manage a complaint
Let people know you have a complaints procedure
Ensure your complaints procedure is prominently displayed in the practice and on your website, and train staff so they know it. Patients may not always feel comfortable about complaining directly to their clinician.
What to do if you receive a complaint
When someone makes a verbal complaint, discuss their concerns straight away. If a verbal complaint is resolved within 24 hours, you don’t need to send an acknowledgement or written response, though you may still want to confirm the discussion in writing. Verbal complaints that can’t be resolved within this time, and written complaints must go through the formal complaints process.
Acknowledge formal complaints in writing within three working days, confirming receipt, that it’s being investigated under the practice procedure, the response timescale, and enclosing a copy of the procedure.
Next, investigate all aspects of the complaint, including reviewing the records and speaking to everyone involved — contacting former staff members if possible. If the investigation runs over the original timescale, tell the patient why.
If you can’t resolve the complaint and the patient remains unhappy, tell them about other avenues open to them, and let your dental defence organisation know if the complaint is escalated.
After the complaint
Reflect on the complaint and use it for quality improvement, and keep a record as you may be asked for this by healthcare regulators or the NHS. Complaints correspondence must be stored separately from patient records.
Complaints dos and don’ts
Resolving complaints successfully isn’t only about following the right process – a professional, empathetic approach matters just as much. Here are some top tips from our experience of supporting members:
Don’t be defensive
Think about how you’d want to be treated if you were complaining. Listen, and stay calm and constructive, even if the complaint seems trivial or unreasonable.
Do keep in touch
Complainants who feel ignored will be less willing to hear your side. Keep them updated on progress and any delays, so they know when to expect to hear from you.
Don’t ask AI to write your response
An AI-generated letter often sounds formulaic, which patients dislike. Putting patient data into an AI program can also raise data protection issues, so it’s best avoided. It may also omit important points, such as a sincere, specific apology.
Do take time and care with your written response
Write in the first person and active voice e.g. “I examined you” rather than “you were examined”. Use plain English, avoiding jargon and technical language.
Don’t be critical of colleagues
It’s rarely appropriate to comment on a colleague’s actions in a complaint response. If you have concerns about a colleague, raise them directly or through your practice’s internal process.
Do contact your defence organisation
Do this promptly. The DDU can advise you and help draft a suitable response so you can resolve the complaint in-house.
