Cancellation & Non-attendance Policy
It is the aim of this practice to provide high quality dental care to our patients and to use clinical time effectively. To achieve this aim, we have an appointment management and cancellation policy.
Management of appointments
Our appointment system supports timely access to care and treatment, allows patients to access services at a time that suits them and minimises the length of time people have to wait. Appointments can be made or rescheduled by calling us on 01883 742549.
Reminders
E-mail/Text reminders are sent to patients before an appointment and patients are requested to inform the practice of any changes to their contact details.
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Cancellation of an appointment or missed appointment by a patient
Patients are requested to give at least 48 hours’ notice to cancel a dental appointment. Cancellations should be made by telephone on 01883 742549.
Late cancellations and missed appointments represent a cost to our other patients, as other patients could have been seen in the time set aside for you.
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There is a fee for private dental appointments that are missed or cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice. The fee is based on the length of the appointment and is charged at a rate of £30 per 15mins.
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We reserve the right to ask a patient to find another dental practice if on 2 occasions within a 12 month period they miss appointments and/or make a cancellation within 24 hours of the appointment.
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It is our aim to contact patients after a missed appointment to understand the reason for non-attendance and to inform them about any fee or decision about their dental care.
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We understand that cancellations and missed appointments are sometimes unavoidable due to illness or emergencies and we will take account of all valid circumstances.
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NHS patients
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NHS patients that have failed to return for an appointment at the practice within 2 years will be deemed to no longer want to be seen/treated under the NHS. The very limited funding to see patients under the NHS will therefore be given to see other patients in need.
The practice will be happy to still see you on a private basis or alternatively, you can contact NHS 111 to find an NHS dentist.
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NHS patients will need to find another dental practice if on 2 occasions within a 12 month period they miss appointments and/or make a cancellation within 24 hours of the appointment.
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