Appointment Management and Cancellation Policy

It is the aim of this practice to provide 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

We invest in the latest technology, including modern telephone equipment and an online booking system, to allow our patients to make or reschedule appointments easily. 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 our dedicated appointments line on 020 8994 6202.

Reminders

E-mail reminders are sent to patients 2 days before any appointment and patients are requested to inform the practice of any changes to their contact details. We do call patients 48 hours prior visit to confirm their attendance.

Cancellation or delay of an appointment by the practice

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

• The patient will be contacted as soon as the practice is aware of 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 at a later time, when we will offer them a priority appointment

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: 020 8994 6202. Late cancellations and missed appointments may represent 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 dental practice if they continue to miss appointments.

If more than two NHS dental appointments are missed or cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice, we do not guarantee being able to complete a patient’s NHS treatment or offer them NHS treatment in the future.

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/treatment and can be found in the private fees list.

It is our aim to telephone or write to patients after a missed appointment to understand the reason for non-attendance and to inform them about 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 Manager, Maria Jackson.

Late Arrival Policy

Patients who arrive after their appointment time may not be seen, and the appointment will be marked as a late cancellation or failure to attend. This policy applies to all appointments with our clinicians.

Reception will offer to rebook you at the next available time.

A charge or loss of deposit will apply.

Patient responsibilities

• Arrive at least 10 minutes before your appointment to check in and update any necessary details.
• If you are running late, contact the practice as soon as possible. We will advise whether your appointment can be kept or moved, but cannot guarantee a later slot on the same day.
• If you cannot attend, please give as much notice as possible so the appointment can be offered to another patient.

Late cancellations and repeated patterns

Appointments must be cancelled or rescheduled at least 48 hours in advance. Cancellations within 48 hours will incur a charge or loss of deposit.

Late cancellations, late arrivals and missed appointments are recorded in the patient’s record. After repeated occurrences, particularly for long or specialist appointments, we may:

• Contact the patient to discuss the pattern
• Require a deposit or payment in advance for future bookings and treatments
• Limit bookings to one appointment at a time
• Apply the charge or loss of deposit in full, without waiver

Persistent late cancellations or late arrivals may result in the practice declining further bookings of this type.