1. We comply with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 when dealing with all data received from visitors to the site.
2. We only hold the data necessary to offer services provided on our website.
3. Data is only used for the purposes described in our entry on the Data Protection Register.
4. We only hold personal data for as long as necessary. Once data is no longer needed it is deleted from our files.
5. For administrative reasons data may be passed to and stored securely with third party service providers located outside the EEA (European Economic Area).
6. We regularly email website news and information updates to those customers who have specifically subscribed to our email service. All subscription emails sent by us contain clear information on how to unsubscribe from our email service.
7. We never sell, rent or exchange mailing lists.
8. We may however share commercial and technical data with our partners where a customer has accessed and used our website via a site belonging to one of our partners. However, such information will also be subject to our partners’ privacy policies.
9. If you subscribe to our email service via a partner site, that partner may wish to send you details via email of other products and services, which may be of interest to you. However when you subscribe directly to our email service you will be asked whether or not you wish to receive such emails.
10. Please note that we only share data with partners that operate their own privacy policy.
11. In accordance with the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, we never send bulk unsolicited emails, (popularly known as Spam) to email addresses.
12. We may send emails to existing customers or prospective customers who have enquired or registered with us, regarding products or services directly provided by us.
13. All emails sent by us will be clearly marked as originating from us. All such emails will also include clear instructions on how to unsubscribe from our email service and any future emails. Such instructions will either include a link to a page to unsubscribe or a valid email address to which you should reply, with “unsubscribe” as the email subject heading.
14. Our website uses “cookies” to track use and allow customers to purchase from our website. Please note that these cookies do not contain or pass any personal, confidential or financial information or any other information that could be used to identify individual visitors or customers purchasing from our website. Please note that you are free to refuse cookies. However, for purely technical reasons this may prevent you from purchasing from our website. This is because anonymous cookies are commonly used to keep track of the contents of customers’ shopping baskets or trolleys during the checkout process. This facility ensures that the items added to (or removed from) your basket are accurately stated when you go to pay.

Our contact details are as follows:

Smmmile Newcastle
95-97 Grainger Street
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 5AE

0191 691 3000 

If you have any questions relating to our Privacy Policy please email us at newcastle@smmmile.store

This policy was last updated on Tuesday 04th May 2021.

 

Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the dentist or any of

the staff at this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure for

dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.

How to complain

We hope that most problems can be resolved easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and

with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out this way and you wish to make a

complaint, we will respond to your complaint within three working days, enabling us to establish

what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your

complaint within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem.

Complaints should be addressed to Lucy Cairns – Complaints Manager, or {Deputy Complaints

Katherine White } – Deputy Complaints Manager,

 Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment to discuss your concerns. We will explain the complaints procedure to you and ensure your concerns are promptly

resolved. It would be a great help if you were as specific as possible about your complaint.

What shall we do:

We aim to deal with all complaints promptly, courteously, efficiently, and preferably on the spot. If

complaints cannot be dealt with on the spot, we have a two-stage complaint-handling procedure:

· Stage 1 Early-Stage resolution and

· Stage 2 Investigation.

We will always consider if a complaint can be dealt with at Stage 1. However, if we think the

complaint is too complex or severe and needs investigation, we will go straight to Stage 2. Patients

also have the right to ask for an Investigation (without going through Stage 1).

Stage 1: Early resolution· The aim is to resolve complaints quickly and close to where the service is provided to the

patient. Where appropriate, this might mean giving the patient an on-the-spot apology and

explanation if something has gone wrong and immediate action is taken to resolve the problem.

· If some enquiries need to be made before responding to a patient’s complaint, let the patient

know a response will be given within five working days, using their preferred method of

communication.

•  In exceptional circumstances, an additional five working days may be needed to respond to the

complaint, but the patient should be kept informed, and the extension should be applied only with

the patient’s agreement. Extensions must not become the norm.

• Make the patient aware of the practice’s complaints policy and where they can turn for support

when making a complaint, e.g., the Patient Advice and Support Service (see Contacts).

• Offer to meet with the patient to discuss the matter if they prefer;
• In the response, offer an apology where appropriate, as well as an explanation and an indication

of any identified improvements.

•  If the patient is unhappy with the Stage 1 response to their complaint, follow Stage 2

Investigation.

· Ensure all complaints are recorded as soon as possible within five working days.

Step 2: Investigation

We use the Investigation stage where:

· The complaint is complex and requires a detailed investigation, or

· the patient is not satisfied with our Stage 1 Early Resolution response to their complaint.

· The patient has asked for an immediate investigation.

· Acknowledge receipt of the complaint in writing within three working days, letting the

patient know what action we will be taking and where they can find support for making a complaint,

e.g. Patent Support and Advice (PASS) (see Contacts). Provide a copy of the practice’s complaints

procedure for patients if they do not already have it.

· Let the patient know that their complaint will be kept confidential but that we may have to talk

to other NHS staff or show them their dental record to investigate the complaint; ask the patient to

let the practice know as soon as possible if they do not want us to share information

· Following investigation, respond to the complaint in writing and using the patient’s preferred

method of communication, if different, within 20 working days.

o If unable to keep to this timescale, let the patient know, giving the reason why and agree to a

revised time limit with them.

· In the response, let the patient know the result of the investigation and:

• offer an apology if things have gone wrong;o show that we have looked into the complaint and reply to all the points the patient has made;
• explain what we will do to stop what they complained about happening again;
• if necessary, explain why we cannot do anything more about some parts of the complaint;
• offer the patient the chance to talk to a member of staff if there is anything in the letter they do

not understand;

• include information about the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman in case they are unhappy

with the response or how we have handled the complaint and want to take things further.

Complaining on behalf of someone else

Please note that we strictly follow the rules of clinical confidentiality. If you are complaining on

behalf of someone else, we must know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by

the person concerned will be needed unless they are incapable (because of physical and mental

illness) of providing this.

HIS CAN BE CONTACTED AT ANY POINT DURING YOUR COMPLAINT

Contacts

Healthcare Improvement Scotland is the regulator for independent healthcare services across

Scotland and can accept complaints at any time from a complainant.

Contact details are:

Healthcare Improvement Scotland Independent Healthcare Team

Gyle Square, 1 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9EB T: 0131 623 4342

E: his.ihcregulation@nhs.scot

General Dental Council

37 Wimpole Street

London

W1G 8DQ

Telephone: 0845 222 4141 or 020 7887 3800

Email: www.gdc-uk.org

Patient Advice and Support Service is available via Citizens Advice Scotland.

www.patientadvicescotland.org.uk

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO)

4 Melville StreetEdinburgh

EH3 7NS

Tel.: 0800 377 7330

www.spso.org.uk

Freepost EH641, Edinburgh EH3 0BR

Open from 9.00 am – 5.00 pm (Mon – Fri), from 10.00 am – 5.00 pm (Tues)

This policy was last updated on Monday 08th September 2025