Appointment Management Policy
Objective
Our aim is to provide you with quality dental care and ensure effective use of clinical time. To achieve this, we have implemented an appointment management policy.
Recall Examinations & Hygiene Appointments
We highly encourage you to consistently visit our practice for routine examinations and hygiene therapy. Your clinician will provide guidance on how often you should come, typically every 6 months. To make your experience seamless and minimize the need for appointment adjustments, we proactively reach out to you up to two months before your scheduled visit. This allows us to invite you to book your own appointment through our convenient online booking service or offer an appointment that aligns with your preferences or previous appointment history.
Making or Amending Appointments
When it comes to making or rescheduling an appointment, we recommend contacting our Reception team at 01228 521701, as it is the most efficient method. For routine, non-urgent appointments, we kindly ask you to avoid our busiest periods, usually between 9 and 11 am, if possible. This will help us assist you efficiently.
Reminders
To support you in keeping track of your appointments, we send email and/or text reminders leading up to your scheduled appointment, with your consent. To ensure this service runs smoothly, it is essential that we have your most up-to-date mobile number and email address. Please inform us promptly of any changes to your contact details.
While reminders are a courtesy we provide, it is ultimately the responsibility of each patient to manage their appointments effectively.
Payment for Dental Appointments
For patients on a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) basis, payment is required at the time of booking to secure your appointment. PAYG patients are unable to book appointments online, as payments must be processed by our reception team when scheduling.
If an appointment is missed or rescheduled with less than 24 hours notice, the payment for that appointment will be forfeited, and a new payment will be required to book another appointment.
For patients on a membership plan, standard payment terms apply, and appointments may still be booked online.
If treatment is recommended or requested, we will provide you with a Treatment Plan Estimate outlining the associated fee. Payment for each item of treatment is required on the day it is completed (or in advance if you're on a PAYG basis). If you prefer to spread the cost of your treatment, we offer finance options. Please speak to a member of the reception team for more information about payment plans or other financial arrangements.
Access to Emergency or Unscheduled Appointments
If you require emergency or unscheduled appointments during regular clinic hours, please contact the practice at 01228 521701. Our reception team will ask you a series of structured questions to assess the urgency of the problem and book the appropriate appointment length with the right clinician.
Non-members will need to pay a non-refundable unscheduled appointment fee when booking to secure an appointment. If treatment is required during or as a result of this appointment, we will inform you of the associated fees through a treatment plan estimate before proceeding.
Note: For urgent/emergency appointments outside of regular clinic hours, please refer to our 'Out of Hours Emergency Dental Treatment Policy'.
Cancellation or Delay of an Appointment by the Practice
In the event that the practice needs to cancel or delay future appointments due to clinicians' training or annual leave, we will provide you with ample notice and offer another appointment. We only cancel or delay your appointment at short notice in unavoidable circumstances. If it's not possible for another clinician to take the appointment at its scheduled date and time, we will take the following steps:
We will contact you as soon as we are aware of the need to cancel or delay the appointment, explaining the reason for such action.
During that contact, we will offer you an alternative appointment at the earliest available time.
If you cannot commit to a new appointment during that contact, we will ask you to get in touch at a later time when we can offer you the earliest available appointment.
Cancellations of an Appointment or Missed Appointments by You
We kindly request that you provide at least 24 hours' notice if you need to cancel a dental appointment. Please make cancellations by telephone at 01228 521701.
If an appointment is missed or cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice, PAYG patients will forfeit their payment and will need to pay again to secure a new appointment. Members may be subject to a charge at the discretion of the practice, which must be settled before further appointments can be made.
We understand that cancellations at short notice are sometimes unavoidable due to illness or emergencies, and we will take valid circumstances into account. If you have any appeals regarding missed or cancelled appointments, please contact our practice manager, Mrs Harriet Wardale.
The practice reserves the right to stop offering appointments to any patient who repeatedly misses or cancels appointments.
New Patient Examinations
The cost of a new patient examination is required upon booking and is non-refundable should you miss or cancel your appointment with less than 24 hours' notice. If you book your appointment online, a member of our team will contact you to collect payment and answer any questions you may have before your visit. Please note that if payment is not successfully collected before the appointment, it will be cancelled
Inactive Records Policy
Patient records will be inactivated if no appointment has been completed within a two-year period. These records will be retained according to our 'Archiving, Disposal and Storing of Records' policy & procedure. The reactivation of lapsed records is at the sole discretion of the practice and is not guaranteed.
Last Reviewed: 28/01/2025 Last Amended: 28/01/2025