Appointment Cancellation Policy

It is the aim of this practice to provide quality dental care to our patients on schedule and to use clinical time effectively. To achieve this aim, we have an appointment management and cancellation policy.

Management of appointments

We invest in the latest technology, including (modern telephone equipment), to allow our patients to make or reschedule appointments easily. Our appointment system supports timely access to care and treatment, allows patients access services at a time that suits them and minimise the length of time people must wait. Appointments can be made or rescheduled by calling our dedicated appointments line on 01344 297001.

Reminders

Email and text reminders are sent to patients 2 days before any appointment and patients requested to inform the practice of any changes in their contact details.

Cancellation or delay of an appointment by the practice

We will only cancel or delay a patient’s appointment in unavoidable circumstances. In such case, we will take the following steps:

• The patient will be contacted as soon as the practice is aware pf the need to cancel or delay the appointment. We will explain the reason for the cancellation or delay
• At the time of contact, the patient will be offered a new appointment at the earliest time available
• If the patient is unable to commit to a new appointment during that contact, we will ask them to get in touch later, when we will offer them a priority appointment

Cancellation of 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 01344 297001.

Late cancellations and missed appointments may present a cost to the practice, when other patients could have been seen in the time set aside for the patient.

We do not make a charge for NHS patients for a late cancellation or missed appointment. However, we reserve the right to ask a patient to find another practice if they continue to miss appointments.

There is a fee for private dental appointments that are missed or cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice. The fee is based on the length of the appointment.

It is our aim to telephone or write to the patients after a missed appointment to understand the reason for non-attendance and to inform them of any fee or decision about their NHS dental care. We understand that cancellations are sometimes unavoidable due to illness or emergencies, and we will take account of all valid circumstances.

Any appeals about missed or cancelled appointment decisions by a patient should be made in writing to the practice manger, Mr Arinder Khabra.

Created 14/2/2020 | Updated 22/3/2021 | Reviewed 4/3/2022