Introduction 

At Real Good Dental Group, we are proud to care for patients across our network of dental practices. While we aim to deliver excellent care every time, we understand that things may occasionally go wrong. 

We want you to feel comfortable, heard, and respected if you have concerns. Whether it’s a small issue or a serious complaint, your feedback gives us the opportunity to put things right – and to improve care for all our patients across the group. 

Our Commitment to You 

Across all our clinics, we are guided by the General Dental Council’s six principles for complaints handling: 

1. Your feedback matters – your voice is important to us
2. We make it simple for you to raise a concern or complaint
3. We follow a consistent process across all our practices and keep you updated
4. We will respond to your concerns with care and clarity
5. We want your experience of making a complaint to be as stress-free and positive as possible
6. We use feedback and complaints to grow, improve, and train our teams 

How to Raise a Concern or Complaint 

You can make a complaint in the way that feels most comfortable for you: 

• Speak to the practice manager at your practice – they will listen and, where possible, resolve the issue straight away. Blackhills Dental Clinic managers name is Roxanne Hausrath and she is available at: manager@blackhillsclinic.com 

• Call the practice directly: 01764 664 446 
• Email our head office e-mail info@realgooddental.com
• Write to us:  

Real Good Dental Group 
25 Queen Street  
Edinburgh 
EH2 1JX 

If you need communication assistance (e.g. large print, interpreter, BSL interpreter), just let us know – we’ll arrange it at no cost to you. 

What Happens When You Complain 

We take every complaint seriously and treat it with care and confidentiality.   

What you can expect: 

• Acknowledgement of your complaint within 3 working days  
• A full response within 20 working days  
• If more time is needed (e.g., due to clinical review), we will explain why and provide regular updates 

Your complaint will be handled at practice level by the Practice Manager. If appropriate the practice manager will discuss your complaint and try to resolve the situation. As all our dentists operate as independent practitioners, if your complaint concerns clinical care, it will be immediately passed to your treating clinician, who will be able to discuss and resolve your concerns.   

Our Approach 

We handle complaints in a way that reflects our values of empathy, openness, and accountability. 

• We listen actively and respectfully – without judgment 
• We provide a clear, honest explanation of what happened 
• If we’ve fallen short, we apologise sincerely 
• We focus on learning from every complaint – across individual practices and the group as a whole 

If You’re Still Not Satisfied 

If you’re unhappy with the outcome of your complaint at practice level, you may escalate it to our Head Office, who will review your case independently. 

E-mail: info@realgoodental,com 

External escalation is also an option, below is a link to the complaints options for both NHS and Private Complaints by region.  

f you’re not happy with how your complaint has been handled following our investigations, you can contact the following external organisations: alternatively, you can contact the relevant third party at any time throughout your complaints process should you wish to.  Please note that complaints that relate to treatment by your dentist or another independent practitioner, will be passed back to them for a secondary review. 

Private Patient Complaints  

Health Care Improvement Scotland  

Programme Manager Independent Healthcare Services Team 

Healthcare Improvement Scotland Gyle Square,  

1 South Gyle Crescent, 

Edinburgh EH12 9EB 

Tel: 0131 623 4342 (10am-2pm, Monday to Friday) 

Email: his.ihcregulation@nhs.scot 

Dental Complaints Service  

Tel: 020 8253 0800 (Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm) 

Email: info@dentalcomplaints.org.uk 

Online form: contactus.gdc-uk.org/dcs/ Complaint/PrivatePatients  

Address: Dental Complaints Service, 37 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8DQ  

NHS Patient Complaints 

 Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO)  

Freephone adviceline: 0800 377 7330  

Online: spso.org.uk/contact-us 

In person: Bridgeside House, 99 McDonald Road, Edinburgh EH7 4NS  

Post: If you would like to request a Freepost envelope from us, please contact us on 0800 377 7330   or via their contact form. 

Fax: 0800 377 7331  

NHS patients can raise concerns directly to their local health board, contact information for your local health board can be found at: scot.nhs.uk/organisations 

Learning Across the Group 

All complaints are logged locally and centrally. We review them regularly to identify trends and opportunities for improvement. This allows us to: 

• Share learning across clinics 
• Update clinical protocols and patient processes 
• Support staff development and training 
• Celebrate when team members resolve complaints with compassion 

Policy Review 

This policy is reviewed annually by our Governance and Quality Team to ensure it stays relevant, patient-focused, and fully aligned with regulatory expectations. 

Last reviewed: August 2025

Next review due: August 2026 

Thank You 

We truly appreciate your feedback. It helps us grow as a team and as a group. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to listen, learn, and improve. 

Group Clinical Director Dr Jacqueline Frederick B.D.S. 

On behalf of 

Real Good Dental Group 

25 Queen Street  

Edinburgh 

EH2 1JX