Complaints Procedure

We aim to provide the highest standard of dental care for every patient. If something has not met your expectations, we want to know so that we can put it right and improve. We take all complaints seriously, deal with them promptly, courteously and in confidence, and no patient will be treated any differently, or have their care disadvantaged, as a result of making a complaint.

This procedure applies to complaints about the treatment or service you have received. If your concern is about someone else, we will need their written consent before we can respond in detail.

1. Talk to us first

In most cases the quickest way to resolve a concern is to raise it directly with the practice. Please contact us:

Complaints are handled by our Complaints Manager. If your complaint is about the Complaints Manager, it will be handled by the Principal Dentist, Dr Sarah Metias (GDC 114267).

2. How we handle your complaint

• We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receiving it.
• We will investigate it fully and aim to give you a response within 10 working days. If the investigation is likely to take longer (for example, if a clinician is on leave or we need further information), we will tell you why and keep you updated with a clear timescale.
• Our response will explain what we found, what we have done or propose to do to put things right, and how you can take the matter further if you remain unhappy.
• We keep a confidential record of complaints and their outcomes, separate from your clinical records, and use them to review and improve our service.

3. If you are still not satisfied — private care

If your treatment was provided privately and you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Dental Complaints Service (DCS) — a free and independent service for resolving complaints about private dental care, funded by the General Dental Council:

4. NHS care complaints — not currently applicable

Station House Dental Care is a private practice and does not currently hold an NHS dental contract. We are not currently registering new NHS patients; new patients are welcome privately. This section is provided for completeness only, in case you received NHS-funded care from us in the past: in that circumstance you could complain to us directly (as above) or to the commissioner of NHS dental services — but not both about the same matter. The commissioner for this area is the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB):

The ICB will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days. If, after the practice or the ICB has responded, you are still unhappy, you can ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review your NHS complaint:

5. Professional regulation — the General Dental Council

All our dentists are registered with the General Dental Council (GDC), the UK regulator for dental professionals, and you can verify any registration on the GDC's online register. You can contact the GDC about the professional conduct of a dental team member:

6. Care Quality Commission

Our practice is registered with and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC does not resolve individual complaints, but it does want to hear about your experience of care, which helps inform its regulation:

7. Independent NHS complaints advocacy

Making a complaint about NHS care is free, and you can ask someone to support you. Free, independent NHS Complaints Advocacy is available to help you make an NHS complaint — you can find your local service via NHS.uk or your local Healthwatch.

Last reviewed: August 2026. A copy of this complaints procedure is displayed at the practice and is available on request. Contact details for the regulators and NHS bodies above are correct at the date of review; please check the relevant organisation's website for the latest information.