We endeavour to manage our appointments system to avoid delays in appointment times and minimise loss of surgery time through cancellations and failed appointments.

Practice appointment system

•    We manage our appointments so that, where possible treatment appointments are booked no more than 12 weeks ahead.
•    We try not to keep you waiting and aim to see you as close to your allocated appointment time. Where there is a delay, we will explain the reasons.
•    If we need to change or cancel an appointment, we will give you as much notice as possible, and explain the reasons.

Communications

•    We will be courteous, friendly and professional always.
•    We will respond promptly to telephone calls and never ask you to ‘hold’ without first finding out why you have called.
•    You will receive full information about our services and our policy for collecting fees, including the methods of payment that we accept.
•    We will explain your treatment options and costs, answer your questions and allow you time to consider the best for you.
•    We will provide a treatment plan and estimate of costs for each new course of treatment and seek your full and specific consent before providing any treatment
•    We will provide urgent advice and care during practice hours as soon as is practicable. Outside normal surgery hours there is an emergency contact number on the voicemail or call 111. The out of hours practice mobile number is 07512 197424.
•    We will refer you for further professional advice and treatment when appropriate
•    We will respond to correspondence within five working days of receipt
•    We encourage you to provide feedback; we will listen to your views and learn from them
•    We make it easy for you to complain or raise a concern about any aspect of the care or service that you have received. Our procedure for dealing with complaints is available on our website and in our Patient Information Folder in the waiting room.

Efficient Running

We want to make sure that we can provide the best care possible to all our patients. That is why we kindly ask you to give us 48 hours’ notice if you cannot make it to your appointment. This way, we can avoid wasting any treatment time and keep waiting lists as short as possible.

Email/Text reminders

Email/text reminders are sent one week in advance of your appointment, and patients are requested to inform the practice of any changes to their contact details. We also offer a paper appointment card when the appointment is made in person in the practice. If you prefer to be reminded using an alternative contact method, please let the reception team know so this can be arranged for you.  Please do not rely on reminders. 

Missed NHS Appointments

Missed NHS appointments cannot be charged for, but we have a strict policy for non-attendance in line with NHS regulations.
Failing to attend an appointment for the first time will result in an email being sent to you along with a copy of our Fail to Attend Policy.  Any subsequent missed appointments, will result in you being deregistered from our NHS list (missed appointments do not have to be consecutive).  If you miss an NHS appointment and do not attend again within 24 months, we may not be able to see you again as an NHS Patient.

Missed NHS Treatments Appointments

Your dentist will terminate your NHS treatment if you miss an appointment without prior notice. You may then need to pay for a new course of treatment. Please be aware that there is currently a significant waiting time for treatment appointments on the NHS.  Whilst practices cannot charge you for not turning up, NHS England has the right to ask you to find another dental surgery if you continue to miss appointments.  

If you miss an NHS appointment and do not attend again within 24 months, we may not be able to see you again as an NHS Patient.

Missed Private Appointments

Failing to attend an appointment for the first time will result in an email being sent to you along with a copy of our Fail to Attend Policy. 

After the first instance, failing to attend appointment will result in a charge.

Late cancellation charges will apply if an appointment is cancelled within 48 hours.

It is your responsibility to ensure that we are informed of any changes to your contact information. 

Missed Private Treatments Appointments

If you miss a private treatment appointment or cancel a private treatment appointment with less than 48 hours’ notice, you will be required to pay upfront prior to your next booked treatment appointment.  This is to encourage patients to keep their appointments and to reduce wasted surgery time.

Short Notice Cancellations

If you cancel an appointment with less than 48 hours or two full working days’ notice, we may not be able to offer that time slot to another patient. This means that we lose surgery time, and we still must pay for our staff and overhead costs.
Cancellations should be made by telephone or by email:
•    Telephone: 01943 884848
•    Email:  admin@springfield-dental.co.uk
•    Any appeals about missed or cancelled appointments should be made in writing to Lisa Weatherley (Practice Manager) either by post or email admin@springfield-dental.co.uk

Payment Policy

Before any dental treatment begins, the patient and/or responsible party must have the means to pay for their treatment.

New patients will be asked to pay for their appointment at the time of booking.  

Patients must settle their outstanding balance at every visit.  We accept VISA, Mastercard and Debit Cards (except American Express). We do not accept cash.  

If you are exempt from NHS charges, you will be asked for proof of exemption at every visit.  Proof of exemption must be shown.

Deposits

If you have not attended for 12 months or more, a deposit of the full amount prior to your appointment will be requested. This also applies to patients with persistent short notice cancellations to encourage patients to keep their appointments and to reduce wasted surgery time.

A deposit is also required prior to the start to an extensive course of treatment.  You will be notified of this by your Dentist, prior to booking.  

We ask that you 
Please complete the online forms below prior to your appointment:-
o    Patient Details
o    Medical History - It is essential we hold up-to-date medical information on your records. It is useful to bring a copy of your repeat prescription if you take any medications. Please note if you are unable to provide us with up-to-date medical information prior to your dental treatment, your appointments may be postponed until this information is received by the practice.
o    FP17PR (NHS declaration) 
o    Exempt patients, it is your responsibility to complete the form correctly. The practice takes no responsibility, and if completed incorrectly, you may be liable to be fined. For further information, please see link https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/help-NHS-dental-costs/free-NHS-dental-treatment.  If there are any issues with the portal, please arrive 5 minutes early to complete the necessary forms in the practice and inform the reception team.
•    Participate in your dental treatment, particularly any advice about prevention and diet that we have asked you to continue at home. 
•    Arrive on time for your appointment 
•    Let us know if you are unable to keep your appointment; please give at least 48 hours’ notice. We may charge for missed appointments where we have not been notified. If you miss an appointment on more than one occasion without letting us know, we may need to review future provision of treatment for you at the practice.
•    Tell us if your contact details (address, telephone numbers, email) change so that we can keep our records up to date and ensure that we are able to contact you
•    Treat our staff courteously; they will do their best to help meet your needs