Clinical treatment outside hospital; Dentist : A Dental Practice in the area of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board

Ms A complained about the dentalcare and treatment provided by the Dental Practice for her son’s injured front tooth. Ms A said that the Dentist had given contradictory and incorrect advice about her son’s treatment plan and the need for specialist referral. Ms A was also concerned that Dentist who had provided her son’s care had written the response to her complaint. She said that the response was not objective and had failed to answer the complaint that she made. The Dental Practice also wanted to charge her for providing a copy of her son’s dental records.

In response to the investigation, the Dental Practice agreed to review the requirements around providing written treatment plans for NHS patients to prevent misunderstandings about care in the future. The Dental Practice also agreed to provide the following to Ms A:

a) a fulsome apology for the for the shortcomings in communication and the poor response to her complaint

b) a more comprehensive and objective response to her complaint

c) a copy of her son’s dental records free of charge

As Ms A’s son had already been referred by the Dental Practice for specialist care and his injured tooth had been restored, the Ombudsman considered that it was proportionate to discontinue the investigation based on the actions agreed.