Complaints course for Dental Practice
This session will define a complaint, explain the factors contributing to a complaint, and provide strategies for resolving and responding to complaints in line with NHS and General Dental Council (GDC) guidelines.
Learning objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:
- define a complaint
- list the factors contributing to complaints
- describe the various strategies adopted to resolve a complaint
- explain how the NHS complaints procedure works
There are many ways of dealing with a complaint and there is not always a correct answer. People are different, and what works with one complainant may not be effective for another. Communication skills, and particularly the interpretation and use of body language, are useful when meeting with a complainant.
Before commencing this session you should have knowledge of:
- GDC Standards for the Dental Team
Stephen is a full time dento-legal adviser for Dental Protection Ltd. He is also a Specialist in Oral Surgery. He qualified in 1984 and worked in fulltime hospital practice until 1989. Between 1989 and 2000, he worked part-time in the Oral and Maxillofacial Unit in Oxford. He had his own practice which he started in 1991, which was a mixture of general and referral practice. He obtained a Masters degree in Medical Law in 2005.
Stephen is also part of the Module Editorial Team at e-Den, and is the Module Editor for Module 10 Communication, and Module 11 Professionalism.
Andy qualified in 1974 and worked in hospital dentistry (mainly oral surgery) for several years. He entered General Dental Practice and became managing partner of a large multi-centred practice in 1983, a post which he retained until 2008.
He is now a dento-legal adviser, and continues an interest in GDP as an associate.
He is heavily involved with the Faculty of General Dental Practice, serving on many committees and was Vice-Dean 2006-2008. He helped edit the recent revision of ’Clinical Examination and Record Keeping’ (available from FGDP). He is currently chair of the Revalidation Group and chair of the FGDP Fellowship Assessors.
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