Complaints Policy

Last updated: 5th October 2026

Our Commitment

At Crestview Dental we are committed to providing high-quality dental care to all our patients. We take feedback and complaints seriously and view them as an opportunity to learn, improve our services, and maintain trust and transparency with our patients.

We aim to handle all complaints courteously, efficiently, and promptly so that concerns can be resolved as quickly as possible.

The person responsible for handling all complaints in the practice is Dr Bilal Raza.

How To Make A Complaint

We hope that most issues can be resolved quickly and informally, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned.

If your concern cannot be resolved this way, or you would prefer to make a formal complaint, you may do so verbally, in writing, or by email.

Complaints Made Verbally

If you make a complaint in person or by telephone:

  • We will listen to your concerns and, where possible, attempt to resolve them immediately.
  • If the Complaints Lead is not available, a team member will record your details and a brief description of your complaint.
  • Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days, and arrangements will be made for the Complaints Lead to contact you directly.

Complaints Made In Writing Or By Email

Written and emailed complaints will be passed immediately to the Complaints Lead, who will acknowledge receipt within 3 working days of receiving your correspondence.

Complaints Handling Process

The practice follows the steps below when managing complaints:

  1. Receipt of Complaint: The complaint will be received by a member of staff and passed to the Complaints Lead as soon as possible.
  2. Acknowledgement: The complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days. The complainant will be informed who is handling the complaint and how they can be contacted.
  3. Initial Assessment: The Complaints Lead will review the complaint, identify any immediate risks or concerns, determine whether further information is required and agree the scope of the investigation.
  4. Investigation: Relevant records, documentation and staff accounts will be reviewed.
    Where appropriate, clinical advice may be sought. The complainant may be contacted if clarification or further information is required.
  5. Progress Updates: If the investigation cannot be completed within 10 working days, the complainant will be informed of the reason for the delay and provided with regular updates until the complaint is concluded.
  6. Outcome: The complainant will receive a written response outlining:
    1. The findings of the investigation 
    2. Any apology where appropriate
    3. Any lessons learned
    4. Any actions taken or planned
  7. Escalation: If the complainant remains dissatisfied, they will be informed of the relevant external organisations available to review their concerns.
  8. Learning and Improvement: The complaint will be reviewed through the practice
    governance process to identify trends, learning opportunities and service improvements.

Investigation And Response

  • We will make every effort to resolve your complaint within 10 working days of
    acknowledgment.
  • If the investigation is likely to take longer (for example, where clinical advice is required), we will inform you of the reason for the delay and agree on an updated timescale with you.
  • If your complaint involves clinical care or treatment, the matter will usually be referred to the treating dentist, unless you specifically request otherwise.
  • Once our investigation is complete, we will contact you via your preferred method (letter, email, or telephone) to share our findings and any actions taken.

Where necessary, we may seek advice from our indemnity provider, insurer, or legal adviser to ensure a fair and compliant response. In such cases, only relevant information will be shared, and confidentiality will be maintained at all times.

The Complaints Lead will keep the complainant informed throughout the process and provide progress updates at agreed intervals, particularly where investigations are ongoing or external advice is being sought.

If You Are Not Satisfied

We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure first. We believe this gives us the best chance to put things right and improve our services. However, if you remain dissatisfied, you may contact one of the following independent bodies:

The CQC: 

The CQC don't get directly involved with complaints made to the practice. They do, however, encourage giving feedback to service providers. To send feedback to the CQC please go to: https://www.cqc.org.uk/give-feedback-on-care

Telephone: 03000 616161 (Mon to Fri, 8.30am - 5.30pm Excluding Bank Holidays)

The NHS: 

If you would rather not go directly to your practice, and your treatment is provided by the NHS, you can contact your local ICB, which is responsible for NHS dental services. The ICB can be contacted if you feel unable to raise your concerns with the practice. 

The ICB, however, cannot re-investigate the same complaints, and therefore, if you feel unhappy with how the practice or the ICB has handled a complaint, you should contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

The Parliamentary And Health Service Ombudsman:

Telephone: 0345 015 4033

Website: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk

Private Patients:

The Dental Complaints Service handles complaints made by private patients.

Telephone: 0208 253 0800 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)

Website: https://dcs.gdc-uk.org/

The GDC:

Website: https://contactus.gdc-uk.org/Complaint/Process/13