Introduction

Hugh Smith has been appointed new head of the Dental Complaints Service, which helps resolve complaints about private dental care. Mr Smith spent 21 years with Barclays Bank, including four years in Botswana in the mid-1990s. He joined Barclays from the army, in which he spent four years after leaving the University of St Andrews. Mr Smith replaces Gordon Miles, who was recently appointed as Director of Resources and Planning at the General Dental Council.

The Dental Complaints Service was launched last May, with the aim of helping to restore the relationship between the patient and the dental professional. By November, it had received more than 3,500 calls on its 08456 120540 complaints hotline, and more than 800 complaints. Nearly half (42 per cent) were closed in a single working day, and nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) were closed in two days.