Don't panic. Here is exactly what to do next.

Contact us so we can help you.
Complaints are different to claims, so check the separate claims guide if you need us to help with a claim.
Email the documents below to ddu@theddu.com. If anything cannot be sent digitally, contact us.

What to send?

The following 5 entries:

A summary of what you need assistance with
The patient’s anonymised clinical records
Complaint correspondence (any communication between you, the practice and the patient)
Practice complaints procedure
Any comments from you

Email these to ddu@theddu.com. In the subject line, write: your membership number, “new matter”, patient's initials, and patient's DOB.

Reason for assistance
Send a description of the complaint and what you would like us to assist with.
Anonymised clinical records
Only send the patient initials and date of birth. Please remove any other identifiable information, such as full name, address, email address, or telephone numbers.

The records include all paper or computer records relating to the patient. Send these as a PDF or Word document but not as an Excel spreadsheet.

Records include:

- Clinical notes – medical history, Periodontal charting
- Imaging - radiographs, scans, photos
- Forms – consent, cost estimates, treatment plans, NHS FP17PR and FP17DC plans
- Correspondence – emails between the patient and the practice, notes made by reception
- Referrals
- Appointment history
- Lab prescriptions
Complaint correspondence
- Any letters or emails between you or the practice and the patient
- Any letters or emails between you or the practice and third parties such as Dental Complaints Service
- Acknowledgement of complaint with practice complaints procedure (see template)
A copy of your practice complaints procedure
The following resources might be useful:
- Quick guides to complaints
- Piecing together a complaints procedure
Your Comments
This could be anything that will help us to help you. For example, is there anything you remember about your care of the patient that isn't in the records?

It's helpful to have your comments on each aspect of the complaint, so provide them by the most convenient method for you, such as bullet points or a draft response.

What happens next?
Once we've received your information, we will allocate a dento-legal adviser to your file and let you know the file reference number.

Timescales
We'll normally allocate your file within one working day of when we receive your information. Remember that if you send it outside our normal office hours, it won't be received until the start of the next working day.

We aim to respond within three to five working days after you receive the file reference number.

In summary

If you’ve just received a complaint:

Acknowledge the complaint promptly (must be acknowledged in writing within three working days)
Send us the documents above
Anonymise the patient information
We usually allocate your file within 1 working day
We aim to respond within 3 to 5 working days
If you receive any further communication before then, call us on 0800 374 626.

I've had a complaint

Received a complaint?

Advisory team

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