Failure to attend Policy | Brighton Villa Dent.

Brighton Villa Dental Care Failure to Attend / Late Cancellation Policy

Every year we lose a lot of valuable surgery time due to patients failing to attend their appointments or cancelling at short notice. This makes it more difficult for us to accommodate our patients in need of urgent treatment, for existing patients to book appointments and for new patients to register here.

Private Patients

From 1st April 2019 we will charge for un-used time where a patient fails to attend or cancels without reasonable notice (less than 24 hours before the appointment). A failed to attend charge will be added. This charge will depend on the length of appointment time.

If a failed to attend charge is added a patient’s deposit will be lost and they may need to pay more if deposit taken is not enough to cover surgery time lost.

A payment given in advance for treatment will result in a partial or full loss of advance payment. This will depend on length of appointment.

Failed to attend charges can vary:

30 minutes from £50.00

45 minutes from £75.00

1 Hour from £150.00

2 Hours from £250.00

Late cancellation charges from £50.00 will apply if an appointment is cancelled within 24 hours and we are unable to fill the time.

Patients who are unable to make their appointment because of illness should, where possible, contact the practice as soon as they are aware that they cannot attend. If patients are unsure whether they can make it to an appointment, please contact us early to discuss the matter rather than leaving it to the last minute. Failing to notify us before the appointment time will result in a failure to attend charge being made unless there are exceptional circumstances.

We understand that scenarios do occur, and discretion will be used if there is a good reason for the appointment being missed.

Denplan Patients

Missed appointment fees and late cancellation fees will also apply to all Denplan Patients.

Please refer to your Denplan Care or Denplan Essentials Handbook under ‘The Care/Essentials Contract between you and your dentist’ (Point 10):

“You are responsible for keeping appointments made with your dentist and you must pay any missed appointment fee should you fail to do so. You must ensure that you also attend your dentist for regular examinations, receive the treatment your dentist advises, and you must promptly inform you dentist of any injury, problem or other material matter affecting your oral health. If you fail to ensure any of this you will be liable to pay any fee charged for treatment necessary to restore your oral health, which could otherwise have been avoided.”

NHS Patients

Under NHS regulations, we are unable to charge NHS patients who fail to attend for their appointments or who cancel at short notice (less than 24 hours is insufficient notice).

We have experienced a large number of NHS patients, often whole families, failing to attend their appointments.

If NHS patients fail to attend two appointments within two years. This will result to them being contacted and made aware they will be removed from the practice patient list and will have to find a new dental practice to attend.

We ask all patients to please notify the practice if you cannot attend on 01432 272925 or by emailing reception@brightonvilladental.co.uk.

Reminders

Text and email reminders are available for all appointments. If we have your contact information on file, we can provide a reminder by text or email 48 hours in advance of your appointment.

It is the patients responsibility to check their text messages, missed calls, answer phone messages and emails to ensure that you have been informed of any changes in your appointments.

If there are any changes to a patients contact information we ask for them to let us know as soon as possible.

Please note, reminders are provided out of courtesy only. Therefore it is a patient’s responsibility to attend and on time for their appointment. Failure of our reminder system for any reason is not a sufficient reason for failing to attend or turning up too late for appointments.

Practice Payment, Deposit & Private Treatment Guarantee Policy

Brighton Villa Dental Care aims to make payment for dental treatment as straightforward and transparent as possible for all our patients.

Treatment Costs

It is our practice policy to provide patients with clear information regarding the anticipated cost of their dental treatment before treatment is undertaken.

Information regarding NHS charges and our current private fees is available from reception.

Patients can pay for their dental care by cash or credit/debit card. Unfortunately, we no longer accept cheque payments.

NHS Treatment

NHS patients may be asked to pay for proposed treatment in advance when booking their treatment appointment.

Private Treatment and Deposits

All private patients will be asked to pay a deposit when booking appointments. This may include examination appointments booked in advance.

Private patients and Denplan Essentials patients may be asked to pay a proportion of the proposed treatment cost in advance. The deposit required will depend upon the type of treatment and the length of the appointment.

Please be aware that an appointment will not be secured until the required deposit has been paid.

Where a patient has a history of failed appointments or late cancellations, the practice reserves the right to request a higher deposit or a greater proportion of the treatment cost in advance.

Treatment Involving Laboratory Work

Where treatment involves laboratory work, patients will be asked to pay a proportion of the treatment cost in advance. This allows laboratory fees to be paid as the treatment progresses.

Any remaining balance will be payable in accordance with the payment schedule agreed with the practice.

Treatment Over £1,500

For private courses of treatment costing more than £1,500, a deposit of £500 or more may be required before the first treatment appointment is booked.

The remaining balance may be spread across the course of treatment, up to a maximum period of 12 months.

The full outstanding balance must be paid by the penultimate appointment, unless an alternative arrangement has been agreed with the practice in advance.

Private Treatment Guarantee

Private dental treatment provided at Brighton Villa Dental Care is guaranteed for 12 months from the date the treatment is completed, subject to the conditions below.

The guarantee applies to the treatment provided by the dentist who originally carried out the treatment. Wherever reasonably possible, any assessment or remedial treatment under the guarantee should therefore be undertaken by that dentist.

The guarantee may not apply where:

The patient declined or refused the treatment originally recommended by the dentist and an alternative treatment was provided at the patient's request or as an agreed alternative.
The patient did not follow the dentist's recommended advice, aftercare or maintenance instructions.
Further dental disease, trauma, accidental damage or a significant change in the patient's oral health has affected the treatment.
The patient has not attended recommended examinations, reviews or maintenance appointments where these were necessary for the treatment provided.
The treatment has been altered, adjusted, repaired or replaced elsewhere without prior agreement from Brighton Villa Dental Care.

Where the original treating dentist is available, patients wishing to raise a concern about treatment within the guarantee period should, wherever possible, arrange an assessment with that dentist.

If a patient chooses to have permanent or replacement treatment carried out by another dentist, rather than the dentist who originally provided the treatment, additional charges may apply.

Any charges will be discussed with the patient before further permanent treatment is undertaken.

The practice will consider each case individually, taking into account the treatment originally recommended, the treatment provided, the clinical circumstances and the reason further treatment is required.

Deposits and Payment Requirements

Deposits are required to secure treatment appointments. If the required deposit has not been received, the practice reserves the right not to book or secure the appointment.

Deposit and staged-payment amounts vary according to the treatment being provided, including examinations, hygiene appointments, fillings, extractions, root canal treatment, dentures, crowns, bridges and orthodontic treatment.

Reception will advise patients of the deposit and payment schedule applicable to their individual treatment plan.

Private and NHS patients may also have the option of joining one of our private dental care schemes with Denplan, subject to eligibility and the terms of the relevant plan.

Please ask a member of our reception team for further information regarding payment arrangements, deposits, Denplan or your individual treatment costs.