Practice Appointments Policy

We endeavour to manage our appointments system to avoid delays in appointment times and minimise loss of surgery time through cancellations and failed appointments.

Practice appointment system

We monitor our waiting times for (i) treatment and (ii) for booking appointments.
If we need to change or cancel an appointment, we will give you as much notice as possible, and explain the reasons.
We will let you know if there is a change in the dentist that you will see, and explain the reason for the change.
The practice appointment system will automatically send out a series of appointment reminders via email including a request to update your Medical History file prior to attending your appointment.

Communications

We will be courteous, friendly and professional in all our dealings with our patients.
We will respond promptly to telephone calls and never ask you to ‘hold’ without first finding out why you have called.
You will receive full information about our services and our policy for collecting fees, including the methods of payment that we accept.
We will explain your treatment options and costs, answer your questions and allow you time to consider the best option for you.
We will provide urgent advice and care during practice hours as soon as is practicable. We will refer you for further professional advice and treatment when appropriate.
We will acknowledge your correspondence within five days of receipt.
We encourage you to provide feedback; we will listen to your views and learn from them.

We ask that you:

Participate in your dental treatment, particularly any advice about prevention and diet that we have asked you to continue at home.
Arrive on time for your appointment. Patients are requested to check in with reception 5 minutes before their scheduled appointment time in order to make sure that any essential paperwork is complete before seeing the dentist. Patients arriving after their scheduled appointment time may be turned away, the decision as to whether they can be seen will be at the discretion of the practising dentist. Late arrival may be subject to a late cancellation fee (see Cancellations & Deposits).
Medical History - Patients are required to update their Medical History information before attending the surgery for any treatment. Links to complete the forms are sent by email for completion at home or the form can be completed at the practice prior to the appointment. Patients requiring extra assistance to complete their medical history form should contact reception and arrangements will be made. It is important that any changes in your medical history are updated prior to your appointment.
Please tell us if your contact details (address, telephone numbers, email) change so that we can keep our records up to date and ensure that we are able to contact you.
Treat our staff courteously; they will do their best to help meet your needs.

Appointment Terms

Routine appointment (also referred to as exam/examination/check-up): These are your 3 or 6 monthly appointments for either exam, scale & polish or a scale & polish only. We encourage 6 monthly examination appointments to maintain good dental care. It is, however, the responsibility of patients to ensure that their routine appointments are booked. (Please see DPAS Practice Terms and Conditions for more detail).

Emergency appointment: Any appointment requested by the patient, outside of their 6 monthly routine appointments. We require that a triage form is completed to provide the dentist with more information prior to the appointment.

Emergency appointments incur a fee that is due prior to the appointment or on the day of the appointment and the fees cover the cost of the appointment only, and will not cover any treatment received.

New Patient Assessment & Advice: A new patient is defined as someone who has never attended the practice before or someone who has not attended in 2 years or more, without DPAS membership.

For new patients wishing to be seen they can request a New Patient Assessment appointment. Payment for the appointment is paid for at the time of booking and the fee is non-refundable per our cancellation terms. (Please see the section about Cancellations & Deposits for more information).The fee covers the appointment time and any prescription issued. Any treatment required on the day of the appointment will be payable on the day of the appointment.

Treatments: Following either a routine examination appointment, assessment appointment or emergency appointment the dentist may propose treatment. Treatments will have an estimate provided or discussed when treatment takes place on the same day. Treatment costs are not the same as appointment fees, and will be charged extra. Your dentist will provide a treatment plan for your review that will detail the costs and number of appointments required to complete the plan. The dental team are available to answer any questions about the course of treatment. Appointments will be booked once you have agreed to the plan.

Cancellations & Deposits

Please let us know as soon as possible if you are unable to attend any appointment booked with the practice.

Cancellations are defined as when a patient requests to change/cancel their appointment or does not attend their appointment (FTA) without any notice. We require at least 48 hours/2 working day notice. Short notice cancellations (less than 48 hours’ working day notice) will result in a late cancellation fee. The charge will be sent by email and we will require this to be paid within 7 working days.

Failure to attend (FTA): If you fail to attend a booked appointment without cancelling you will be charged a late cancellation fee. Should you fail to attend on more than one occasion without letting us know, we may need to review future provision of treatment for you at the practice.

Deposits: For some appointments we will ask for a deposit to be paid in advance to book the appointment. Deposits will be payable where the appointment is for one hour or more, where the patient booking the appointment has a history of FTA or at the discretion of the dentist and/or the management team. The deposit amount will be kept as a credit on your account and will be deducted from the total cost of the treatment or fee. However, if the appointment is cancelled at short notice the deposit will cover the cost of non-attendance and a new further deposit will be required in order to book a new appointment.