Complaints Procedure
Last reviewed: 4 November 2026
We aim to give every patient a high standard of care. If you are unhappy with any part of your care or our service, please tell us. We take every complaint seriously, and raising a concern will never affect the care you receive from us.
1. Who Handles Complaints
Our Practice Manager, Kelly Dickinson, is responsible for handling complaints. If Kelly is unavailable, or if your complaint is about her, it will be handled by Julija Hobotova, our Nominated Individual.
2. How to Make a Complaint
You can complain in whichever way suits you best:
- In person at reception during opening hours (Tuesday to Friday 9:00am–5:00pm, Saturday 9:00am–3:30pm)
- By telephone on 0115 926 4333
- By email to info@smilestudio-walkin.com
- By post to The Practice Manager, Smile Studio, 152 Front Street, Arnold, Nottingham, NG5 7EG
Please raise your complaint as soon as possible, ideally within 12 months of the event or of becoming aware of it. If you can, include your name and contact details, what happened, when it happened, who was involved and what outcome you would like.
If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we will need their written consent, unless they are unable to give it (for example, a child or a person who lacks capacity).
If you need help, such as an interpreter or support with putting your complaint in writing, please ask and we will be happy to help.
3. What Happens Next
- Acknowledgement: we will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and let you know who is dealing with it and how we plan to handle it.
- Investigation: we will look into your complaint fully and fairly, reviewing records and speaking with the people involved. We may invite you to a meeting to discuss it.
- Response: we aim to give you a full written response within 10 working days. If it will take longer, we will explain why and keep you updated at least every 10 working days.
- Outcome: our response will explain what we found, any action we are taking and, where appropriate, an apology.
Minor concerns raised in person may be resolved straight away. We still record them so that we can learn from them.
4. Confidentiality
Complaints are handled in confidence and in line with data protection law. Information is only shared with the people who need it to investigate, and complaint records are kept separately from your dental records.
5. Learning From Complaints
We review all complaints with our team so that we can keep improving our service.
6. If You Are Not Satisfied With Our Response
Smile Studio is a private dental practice. If you are unhappy with our final response, you can contact:
The Dental Complaints Service
A free and impartial service for patients of private dental care, funded by the General Dental Council.
Telephone: 020 8253 0800
Website: dentalcomplaints.org.uk
General Dental Council
If you have concerns about a dental professional’s fitness to practise.
Telephone: 020 7167 6000
Website: gdc-uk.org
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
The CQC regulates our practice. It does not investigate or resolve individual complaints, but it welcomes feedback about your care, which helps it monitor services.
Telephone: 03000 616161
Website: cqc.org.uk/give-feedback-on-care