Complaints Procedure – Information for Patients

The New Forest Implant Office follows a complaints procedure that adheres to national criteria. If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the dentists or any of the staff working in this practice, please see the guidance outlined below.

How to Complain

If want to make a complaint, please let us know as soon as possible. To help us gain a clear understanding of the issue it is always best if you can alert us within a few days or a week of the incident. If that is not possible please let us have details of your complaint within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem; or within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem.

Complaints about the treatment you received should be made to Dr Konstantinos Loukas. He will explain the complaints procedure to you and will ensure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will help if you are as clear as possible about your complaint.

What We Shall Do

We acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and aim to have investigated your complaint within 10 working days of the date when you raised it with us. We will then be able to give you an explanation or offer a meeting with those involved. In investigating your complaint, we shall aim to:

• find out what happened and what went wrong

• enable you to discuss the problem with those concerned.

• ensure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate.

• identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must know that you have the permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed.

Complaining to a Dental Complaints Service

If you are not satisfied with the final resolution, then you can complain to a Dental Complaints Service. While we hope you will use our complaints procedure first, you have the right to complain to an independent body if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation. If you wish to seek further advice you should contact the following organisations:

Dental Complaints Service

37 Wimpole Street

London

W1G 8DQ

T: 0208 253 0800

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

General Dental Council

37 Wimpole Street

London

W1G 8DQ

T: 0207 167 6000

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COVID NOTICE

Announcement of opening day - 15th June 2020

We are excited to welcome patients into the practice from the 15th June 2020.

  • Dental Implant consultations
  • Implant referrals from other dentists
  • Patients with implant complications
  • Teeth extractions

Our opening hours have been extended. This allows extra flexibility for the cleaning time between appointments and ensures the environment remains as safe as possible for our patients, clinicians and practice colleagues.

As a private, specialist clinic we operate a single patient policy and do not accept walk ins, please call or email us to make an appointment. Dr Loukas is also able to run virtual consultations, helping us to address our patient’s needs sooner as well as reduce the number of face to face appointments where possible. 

To reach our team please call 01794 399987 or email us at

info@drloukasimplants.com

If you have any of the symptoms of Covid-19/Coronavirus, please let us know as soon as you can; do not attend your appointment and follow the government guidelines around self-isolation.

Before your appointment

To ensure that you have all the information easily to hand, we will send you all the key information before your appointment - including who you will be seeing, what treatment you will be having, the cost of your treatment and , what to do when you arrive. It is possible that we may ask you to complete and return a medical history form that will be sent and completed digitally, so please do not print this out and bring with you.

On the day of your appointment

Before you depart for the practice, we ask that where possible, you have already visited the lavatory, have ensured that you are hydrated and already brushed your teeth It is important that you do not bring a large number of things into the practice with you, so please ensure you only bring necessary items with you.

When you arrive, the doors will be locked, so please call to let our team know you have arrived and either stay in your car or outside of the practice (whilst maintaining good social distancing protocol) if you have arrived on foot. To minimise risk, please ensure you attend your appointment alone unless you require assistance or are supporting a child or someone vulnerable. We are encouraging card payments only so where possible, please do not arrive with cash.

Entering the practice

When it is time for your appointment, one of our team will call you to notify you to approach the practice. Please let us know if you do not have a mobile phone beforehand and we will make alternative arrangements. Before entering the practice, one of our trained colleagues will take your temperature to ensure you do not have a fever and invite you in if your temperature is safely below 37.5 degrees centigrade. Unfortunately, if you are above 37.5 degrees, we will have to rearrange your appointment for the safety of all those in practice.

Once you have been invited into the practice, you will be asked to sanitise your hands and correctly place a facemask on, which you will be shown how to do. We will require payment before your appointment (if appropriate), ideally by card, using our freshly disinfected card machines to ensure you can have a swift departure once your treatment has finished. Our practice colleagues will be behind protective plastic screens, but this is for the safety of everyone. No other patients will be waiting in the reception area and you will be guided to the appropriate treatment room, following the distance markers that will be displayed throughout practice.  

Treatment

Before you enter the treatment room, you will need to leave any loose belongings like your coat or bag in the designated box provided. Upon entering the treatment room, our teams will be wearing extra Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as in order to provide you with the right care and service, they cannot adhere to social distancing recommendations. This may mean that it is more difficult to see our colleagues and clinicians’ faces, but please be reassured that they will be the usual friendly team. Naturally we are also ensuring that each treatment room is carefully cleaned and disinfected after each patient. You will be asked to wash your hands and to place your mask into a plastic bag.

If you are attending for a treatment that requires an Aerosol Generating Procedure (AGP) - any procedure that has the potential to cause spray - you will be asked to carefully swill your mouth with a hydrogen peroxide solution for 1 minute. One of our team will talk you through this on the day. 

After the appointment

When your treatment is complete, you will replace your face mask, wash your hands and collect your belongings from the box outside the treatment room door. Before you leave the practice, you will dispose of your mask at the door and leave after using hand sanitiser one last time, before we say goodbye. If you have any questions after the appointment, we will be able to call you to discuss this further asour aim is to minimise your time in the practice, for your own safety.