Our Commitment to Our Patients & Practice Appointments Policy
We value and respect our patients and strive to ensure that we meet your expectations. This code of practice describes how we manage our practice systems and communicate with you to achieve this. We endeavour to manage our appointments system to avoid delays in appointment times and minimise loss of surgery time through cancellations and failed appointments.
All members of our team will
- · Act in a way that justifies the trust that you place in us
- · Provide you with a standard of care that we would expect to receive ourselves
- · Provide advice and treatment outside normal surgery hours where necessary
- · Stand by the promises we make
- · Keep our professional skills and knowledge up to date
- · Keep confidential any information that, as a patient of this practice, you provide
Practice systems – we will
- · Manage our appointments so that treatment appointments are booked no more than 2 weeks ahead
- · Ensure that you are not kept waiting and will be seen within 5 minutes of your appointment time. Where there is a further delay, we will explain the reasons.
- · Where the length of your appointment is longer than 15 minutes, we will remind you of the day and time of your appointment by text, email or phone.
- · Monitor our waiting times for (i) treatment and (ii) for booking appointments
- · Provide as much notice as possible, and explain the reasons, if we need to change or cancel an appointment
- · Let you know if there is a change in the dentist that you will see, and explain the reason for the change
Communicating with you – we will
- · Be courteous, friendly and professional at all times
- · Respond promptly to telephone calls
- · Make sure that you receive full information about our services and our policy for collecting fees, including the methods of payment that we accept
- · Explain your treatment options and costs, answer your questions and allow you time to consider the best option for you
- · Provide you with a treatment plan and estimate of costs for each new course of treatment.
No treatment will be undertaken without your full and specific consent - · Provide urgent advice and care during practice hours as soon as is practicable. Outside normal surgery hours, contact the NHS helpline on 111.
- · Refer you for further professional advice and treatment when appropriate
- · Respond to correspondence within five days of receipt
- · Encourage you to provide feedback – we will listen to your views and learn from them
- · 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 in the patient information folder in the waiting room, or a copy is available from reception. It can also be found on our website.
And, we ask that you
- · 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
- · If you are unable to keep your appointment, please let us know at least 24 hours before your appointment time. 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 for NHS dental care.
- · 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
Date: 31st July 2024
Review date: July 2025
