Feedback and complaints

We want to hear from you, whether your experience was good or not. This policy explains how this dental practice (the Practice, we, us, our), operated by Averra Dental Pty Ltd, receives and handles feedback and complaints, and who else you can contact if you are not satisfied with our response. Raising a concern will never affect the care you receive.

1. How to give feedback or make a complaint

You can raise a concern in whichever way suits you:

• In person: speak to your practitioner or ask for the practice manager at any time.
• By phone: call the Practice during opening hours using the number on this website.
• By email: privacy@averradental.com.au.
• In writing: post or hand a letter to the Practice, marked for the attention of the Practice Manager.
• Anonymously: you may give feedback without identifying yourself, although we will not be able to respond to you or investigate fully.

You can ask a family member, friend, carer or advocate to make a complaint on your behalf; we will need your consent to discuss your health information with them unless you lack capacity.

2. What happens next

1. Acknowledgement: we will acknowledge your complaint promptly and tell you who is handling it.
2. Investigation: the practice manager, or a senior clinician for clinical matters, will review your records, speak with the team members involved and, where helpful, meet with you. Complaints about a practitioner's clinical care are reviewed by a different registered practitioner.
3. Response: we aim to give you a written response as quickly as the matter allows and will tell you when to expect it. If the matter is complex, we will explain why and keep you updated.
4. Resolution: where something has gone wrong, we will say so, apologise, explain what happened, and tell you what we will do about it. Remedies may include an explanation, a further appointment, remedial treatment, a fee adjustment or refund, or a change to our processes.
5. Review: if you are not satisfied with the response, you can ask for it to be reviewed by a director of Averra Dental Pty Ltd.

3. Open disclosure

If an unexpected outcome or error occurs during your care, we follow open disclosure principles: we will tell you what happened as soon as practicable, express regret, explain the likely consequences and the steps being taken, and keep you informed. An apology or expression of regret is not an admission of legal liability.

4. Records and confidentiality

We record every complaint, the investigation and the outcome in a complaints register kept separately from your clinical record, and we review complaints regularly to identify improvements. Information about a complaint is shared only with the people who need it to resolve the matter, and with our professional indemnity insurer where a claim may arise.

5. Taking your complaint further

You do not have to complain to us first, and you can contact an external body at any time. The relevant bodies are:

6. Compliments and suggestions

If a team member has done a great job, please tell us; we pass compliments on. Suggestions for improving our service are reviewed at our team meetings. Note that the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law prohibits us from publishing patient testimonials in our advertising, so we will not reproduce your feedback on this website or in our marketing, although you are free to leave a review on any independent platform.

7. Contact

Feedback and complaints: privacy@averradental.com.au, or ask for the practice manager.