Chairman of the Consumers Association of Ireland, Michael Kilcoyne is to be the first mediator of the newly established Dental Complaints Resolution Service.
The new independent service, which has the backing of the Irish Dental Association, will offer dental patients and dentists the opportunity to settle their differences with the assistance of a professional mediator. The service will be free of charge and will be based in Castlebar, Co Mayo.
Mr Kilcoyne has welcomed the timely launch of the service which he feels will allow patients to express their concerns without having to go through the costly and time consuming complaint mechanisms of the Dental Council or the Civil Courts. He also highlighted the benefit of the service for those in the dental profession who, up to now, “have not had the benefit of a system which can address genuine concerns as they arise as well as offering invaluable feedback”.