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, 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 appointments easily. Our appointment system supports timely access to care and treatment, allows patients to access services at a time that suits them, and minimizes waiting times. Appointments can be rescheduled by calling our dedicated appointments line at 01709 709777 or emailing the practice at info@one44dental.co.uk.

Reminders

Email and text reminders are sent to patients 7 and 3 days before any appointment. Patients are requested to inform the practice of any changes to 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 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, with an explanation for the change.
• At the time of contact, the patient will be offered a new appointment at the earliest available time.
• If the patient is unable to commit to a new appointment during that contact, we will ask them to get in touch later, at which point we will offer them a priority appointment.

Cancellation 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 at 01709 709777.

Late cancellations and missed appointments represent a cost to the practice when other patients could have been seen during the reserved time. As such, there is a fee for dental appointments that are missed or canceled with less than 48 hours’ notice. The fee is based on the length of the appointment:

• £1 per minute of appointment time (e.g., a 30-minute appointment incurs a £30 fee, while a 60-minute appointment incurs a £60 fee).

We aim to contact patients after a missed appointment to understand the reason for non-attendance and to inform them about any applicable fee. We understand that cancellations are sometimes unavoidable due to illness or emergencies and will take valid circumstances into account.

Any appeals regarding missed or canceled appointment fees should be made in writing to the Practice Manager, Leah Hart.