Charging in advance and for Missed or Late Cancelled Appointments Policy September 2023
At Bricketwood Practice, we value both the time of our patients and the professional commitments of our practitioners. To ensure effective management of our appointments and to provide quality care, we have implemented the following policy:
Charging in advance and for Missed or Late Cancelled Appointments:
We require payment in advance for ALL dental appointments to secure the booking.
Late cancellation is defined as a cancellation made within 48 hours of the appointment.
A fee for missed or late-cancelled private appointments will be charged based on the cost of the surgery time lost.
Impact on NHS Registration:
For patients that have not attended since 2021 we unfortunately cannot provide NHS care due to limited NHS funding and will be offered private appointments.
For NHS patients, if there are one instance of failure to attend or late cancellations within a 12-month period, we may withdraw registration with the practice. This aligns with NHS Choices guidelines, which state that “if you miss NHS appointments, your dentist can decide not to offer you treatment in the future.”. This policy applies to both NHS and private patients.
Communication of Policy:
Patients who visit the practice will be able to view the policy at the reception desk as well as on our website page.
Concerns or complaints should be directed to info@bricketwoodpractice.co.uk and our complaint procedure will be made known if required.
Failure to Return for Treatment:
Patients are encouraged to schedule any required treatment at the time of their initial assessment.
Patients with outstanding treatment plans will be contacted first by phone or text, and subsequently by letter, to schedule an appointment.
If no appointment is scheduled within one month of the initial assessment, the treatment plan may be closed. The actual treatment appointment does not have to occur within one month, as long as an appointment is in the system.
If no appointment is made after two further attempts, the treatment plan can be closed, and the patient will be presumed to have failed to return.
This policy may result in patients having to pay again for a new course of treatment, including those who have already paid for Band 1 treatment.
Late Arrival for Appointments:
Patients arriving more than 10 minutes late for a scheduled appointment may not be seen. This is to ensure that planned treatment can be provided effectively. Patients are encouraged to call if they anticipate being late, to consider rescheduling the appointment.
Failure to Correctly Declare Exemptions:
Patients are advised, through posters in the waiting rooms, that failure to correctly declare exemptions may result in fines and having to pay the full charge for treatment.
It is the responsibility of patients to correctly declare any exemptions they are entitled to, with appropriate proof.
At Bricketwood Dental Practice, we believe that these policies are in the best interest of our patients and our commitment to providing quality dental care. We appreciate your cooperation in adhering to these guidelines.
If you have any questions or require further information, please feel free to reach out to us.
Bricketwood Practice
