NHS Dental Registration Guidelines
To maintain your NHS registration at Canning Town Dental Practice, it is important to follow these two essential guidelines:
- Attend your scheduled appointments or cancel with sufficient notice (24 hours prior appointment).
- Ensure no more than 24 months pass between appointments to retain your place on our NHS patient list.
Failure to comply with these guidelines could result in losing your NHS registration. If you need to reschedule or cancel, please contact the practice in advance. Patients arriving more than 10 minutes late or missing appointments prevent others from receiving care. Therefore, we kindly request that you inform us of any changes 24 hours prior to your appointment even if that requires leaving us a voicemail or email with your name and date of birth.
Attendance and Cancellations
Missed Appointments
If you miss an appointment, it will be recorded. If this happens a second time, Canning Town Dental Practice will ask you to find another practice for your dental needs. However, if you attend your next appointment after a missed one, we will do our best to accommodate your preferred schedule for future visits. Missing two appointments, whether consecutive or not, may result in removal from our NHS patient list. This policy is in line with NHS regulations.
Protecting Your NHS Registration
Many patients forget to schedule regular dental examinations, which can lead to a lapse in their NHS registration. We make every effort to remind patients via email when they are due for a check-up. However, if we cannot contact you due to outdated details, you risk missing vital reminders.
To stay on our NHS patient list:
- Attend all scheduled appointments or cancel at least 24 hours in advance.
- Book your next dental exam before leaving the practice, whether it is 3, 6, or 12 months in advance. Our reception team will gladly assist and send you timely reminders.
- Update your contact details regularly, including your email address, phone number, address and any exemptions.
- Help loved ones (such as elderly family members) maintain their dental registration by tracking their appointments.
- Use it, don’t lose it!: If your NHS registration lapses and you wish to re-register, you may face extended waiting times due to the high demand for NHS treatment.
Efficient Running and Short-Notice Cancellations
To provide optimal care and reduce waiting times for all patients, we ask that you inform us in advance if you are unable to attend an appointment or if you are running late. Missed appointments cannot be charged for under NHS regulations, but failing to attend may lead to losing your NHS registration at our practice. Frequent cancellations with less than 24 hours' notice may also impact your status as an NHS patient. Please note, patients arriving more than 10 minutes late may not be able to be seen by the dentist.
Booking and Reminder System
According to NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines, your dentist will recommend the timing of your next examination upon completion of your current treatment. This is to ensure that you continue to receive proper dental care and you can book this as far in advance as you'd like with our reception team. If you choose not to, we will send you an email reminder when it’s time for your next visit which you will be responsible for booking as soon as you possibly can to avoid being taken off our NHS patient list. While we strive to accommodate your preferred appointment times, availability may vary.
Responsibility for attending regular appointments lies with the patient. If you fail to attend routine check-ups as advised, we will assume you no longer require our NHS services, and private fees will apply for future treatments.
Appointment Reminders and Online Portal
To streamline your visit, we offer an online portal where you can complete necessary forms before your appointment, including:
- Medical History Form
- Treatment Consent Form
- FP17PR (NHS Declaration): If you do not complete this, it will be assumed that you are paying private fees. 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. Further information on free NHS dental treatment can be found at NHS BSA.
If you encounter issues with the portal, please arrive 10 minutes early to complete the forms in practice.
Updating Medical Information
It is essential that we have your most up-to-date medical information on file. If you take regular medications, please bring a copy of your repeat prescription to your appointment. Failure to provide accurate medical details may result in your appointment being postponed until the information is received.
Appeals and Complaints
If you wish to appeal a decision regarding missed or cancelled appointments, please contact us in writing at canningtowndental@gmail.com. We are committed to resolving any issues promptly and fairly.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure uninterrupted care and maintain your NHS registration with Canning Town Dental Practice.
Payment and Refund Policy
At Canning Town Dental Practice, we adhere to NHS guidelines and kindly request that all patients settle payments for their dental services before attending a check-up or undergoing treatment. The NHS fees are displayed in our reception area and also available on our 'Fees and Financing' page. Patients who are exempt from NHS charges must provide proof of exemption at the start of treatment. If no proof is provided, charges will be applied accordingly.
We aim to inform patients of treatment costs—whether NHS, private, or a combination—at the outset. For private treatments, a signed consent form will be required prior to treatment. Similarly, for NHS or combined treatments, patients must sign an FP17DC form at the beginning of their treatment.
Our practice operates a strict payment policy, requiring all payments to be made in full prior to the completion of treatment. In some cases, the treating dentist may request full payment before treatment begins. Payments can be made via cash, debit card, or credit card.
In the event of unpaid fees, patients will be notified via text or email, reminding them of the outstanding balance. We encourage patients to review our payment policy on the website and contact the practice to arrange payment.
Accepted Payment Methods
We accept the following credit and debit cards:
- American Express
- MasterCard
- Maestro
- Visa
- Visa Electron
Updating Contact Details
It is essential that you inform the practice immediately of any changes to your contact details. Failure to do so may result in missed communications and important updates about your treatment.
Cancellation of Courses of Treatment
In the event that we need to cancel a course of treatment, we will make every effort to notify patients as early as possible. Canning Town Dental Practice’s liability will be limited to a refund of any advance payments made. Refunds will be processed using the original method of payment. Please note that we are not responsible for any additional costs or losses incurred due to treatment cancellations.
We reserve the right to make changes to a treatment plan, and we will notify patients of any significant changes in advance.
Cancellation by the Patient
If you need to cancel your appointment or course of treatment, you can do so with a full refund for any treatment not yet performed as long as you provide at least 24 hours' notice.
For cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice, we reserve the right to withhold a portion of the payment to cover overhead costs based on the length of the scheduled appointment.
This policy does not apply to NHS appointments, but we reserve the right to discontinue NHS treatment and future NHS care in such cases.
If you wish to discontinue your treatment, a 14-day notice period is required. Any payments for services not yet rendered will be refunded, excluding costs for any completed laboratory work (such as crowns, bridges, or dentures).
For NHS treatment courses, refund amounts are determined by the NHS Business Services Authority rather than by the practice.
Refund Process
Refund requests will be processed within 14 days of receiving a written request by email:
Email: canningtowndental@gmail.com
If services have not yet been provided and no laboratory fees are involved, we will either credit your account or issue a refund using the original payment method. For cash payments, you will have to notify us when you are able to come in for us to refund your payment.
Treatment Warranty
At Canning Town Dental Practice, we offer a one-year warranty on treatments against defects in workmanship or materials. This warranty covers free replacements within the warranty period. If a replacement cannot be satisfactorily provided, a refund may be issued, provided the following conditions are met:
- The patient has fully paid for the treatment and has no outstanding balance with the practice.
- The veneers, crowns, or implants have not been damaged due to neglect, accidents, trauma, or excessive grinding.
- The patient has followed all maintenance and hygiene instructions recommended by our dentists.
Please note that while no treatment is guaranteed for more than one year, this does not reflect the expected longevity of the treatment. Any issues related to materials or components will typically become evident within the first year and will be addressed accordingly.
Dental Implants
Dental implants come with a lifetime parts guarantee, as we use only premium-quality components. However, this does not include fees for the dentist’s or laboratory's time, which will be charged on a case-by-case basis.
Exclusions and Conditions
Some treatments may carry a guarantee of less than one year. In such cases, the treating clinician will inform you in advance. The warranty may not apply in the following circumstances:
- The patient opted for a treatment other than the one recommended by the dentist.
- A more costly treatment was required for a lasting remedy, in which case the cost of the item under warranty will be deducted from the price of the remedial treatment.
- The dentist advised of a significant risk of failure, but the patient elected to proceed with treatment despite knowing the risk.
- Root canal therapy is required to resolve ongoing or postoperative symptoms.
- Recementation of crowns, inlays, veneers, and bridges that were not provided by the practice within the previous year.
- Temporary or "holding" restorations that are considered semi-permanent.
- Dentures where poor retention is due to limited bone support or muscle intolerance.
- The patient chooses a different clinician from the one who originally provided the treatment.
- Repairs, relines, and adjustments of dentures that were not provided by the practice within the last 12 months.
- Immediate or post-immediate dentures where the healing process following tooth extraction is incomplete.
Important Notice
This warranty applies only to patients who return to the clinic for examination and assessment. If you experience any issues with your treatment, please schedule a visit with us so we can evaluate the situation and provide the necessary care.
Code of Practice for Handling Complaints
At Canning Town Dental Practice, we take all complaints seriously and are committed to ensuring that our patients are satisfied with the level of care and service they receive. When a patient expresses dissatisfaction, we handle the matter with courtesy and efficiency, aiming for a swift resolution.
How to Make a Complaint
Should you wish to raise a concern, please note the following process:
- Complaints by phone or in-person: If you make a complaint over the phone or at the reception desk, we will listen attentively and offer to either resolve this matter over the phone, or ask you to send your complaint to us via email. Brief details of the complaint will be recorded and passed on for prompt attention.
- Written Complaints: Any written complaints will be forwarded directly to our management team. If the issue pertains to clinical care or associated charges, it will typically be referred to the treating dentist, unless the patient requests otherwise.
- Please send your emails to: admin@canningtowndentalpractice.co.uk
Acknowledgement and Response Time
We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days. A meeting may be arranged to discuss your concerns in more detail. Our goal is to resolve the issue within 14 days; however, if more time is required to complete the investigation, we will notify you of the reason for the delay and provide an updated timeframe. Once the investigation is complete, you will receive a written response detailing the outcome of our findings and decisions.
Record Keeping and Confidentiality
We maintain comprehensive records of all complaints and guarantee that any patient raising a concern will not face discrimination or adverse treatment as a result. Should your complaint involve clinical care or financial matters, we may need to share information about your treatment with insurers, indemnifiers, or legal advisers as part of the resolution process.
Abuse and Behavioural Policy
We are committed to providing a respectful and safe environment for all our patients and staff. We will not tolerate any form of abuse, including shouting, swearing, threats or aggressive behaviour. Patients who engage in such behaviour may face restrictions or denial of future treatment at our practice. We ask that all patients communicate their concerns respectfully, so we can work together towards a satisfactory resolution.
External Complaints
If you prefer not to raise your complaint directly with us, you may address it to the relevant external regulatory body. Rest assured, we welcome all feedback and are dedicated to improving our services based on your input.
We encourage open communication and will do our best to resolve any concerns in a manner that reflects our commitment to excellence in patient care.