Professionalism & Management | Communication | Complaints

Complaints
Session overview
Description
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

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should have knowledge of:

• GDC Standards for the Dental Team

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.

When giving a written response, it is important to make it clear and concise, without the use of clinical terminology which a complainant may not understand. If clinical language is used, a full explanation in straightforward language should be provided.