Respecting your time and ours

Cancellation of an appointment with less than 48 working hours’ notice usually means that we are unable to re-allocate the time to other patients. This leads to lost treatment time, which can then only be covered by increasing charges to our patients.

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Running an efficient appointment system, where patients give us sufficient notice if they are unable to attend a dental appointment, means we minimise wasted treatment time and can keep waiting lists down.

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We kindly ask that you give us as much notice as possible if you need to change or cancel your appointment.

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48 working hours’ minimum notice period

We aim to be fair to our patients and widely publicise our cancellation policy, which requires a minimum of 48 working hours’ notice to cancel, change or move an appointment.

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For the purposes of this policy, working hours are counted on days when the practice is open and do not include Saturdays, Sundays, bank holidays or other days when the practice is closed. For example, cancelling an appointment on a Saturday for Monday morning would not provide 48 working hours’ notice.

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This information is displayed in our waiting area, published on our website and printed on all of our treatment plans. If you cancel an appointment at short notice, a charge will automatically be added to your account as outlined in our “Late Cancellation & Re-booking Policy”.

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We ask for at least 48 working hours’ notice to change, cancel or move an appointment as this gives us an opportunity to re-allocate the time to another patient. We also print and prepare day lists in advance, so a cancellation at shorter notice can mean we need to reprint complete day lists and potentially lose valuable treatment time. Our staffing costs and overheads still have to be funded when appointment time cannot be re-allocated.

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Late cancellations and missed appointments

In the first instance of a late cancellation, we will give you the opportunity to rearrange the appointment and simply pay a fee depending on the appointment length (up to £2 per minute) to cover administration and running costs.

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Emergencies and exceptional circumstances

We appreciate that unexpected situations can arise. If you are unable to attend due to an emergency, please contact the practice as soon as possible and we will always aim to be understanding and fair.

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Thank you

We appreciate your understanding of our late cancellation policy and your help in allowing us to run an efficient appointment system.

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We will always take exceptional circumstances associated with a late cancellation into account. Simply write to us within 7 days of the appointment date, outlining the circumstances and enclosing any supporting evidence. In the meantime, all late cancellation fees must be settled as outlined above for us to consider this and to prevent you incurring further charges.

 

Each case will be considered individually, and we will contact you within 28 days to inform you of the outcome and, where appropriate, credit any fees incurred and paid.