Practice Policies

Keeping Your NHS Dental Registration Safe

There are two very important points to remember if you wish to continue as an NHS patient with Canning Town Dental Practice.

• Don’t miss an appointment or be late for an appointment.
• Don’t allow more than 14 months to lapse between appointments.

If you need to contact us to cancel or change an appointment, please ring the practice in advance. Patients arriving late (10 min), or not at all, prevent other patients from accessing care. Please take a few moments to read the information below.

If you have an appointment, please make sure you remember to attend it.

Please take every step necessary to make sure that you arrive at a good time. We need to be strict about both missed appointments and late arrivals. If you must cancel, make sure you do so at least 24 hours in advance.

“We’re sorry, but…”

We value all our patients, and we don’t want to have to tell anyone, “We’re sorry but we must ask you to find a different dental practice for your treatment if the above rules are not fallow.”

Please note:

• After one missed appointment, your non-attendance or late attendance will be recorded. When you wish to make another appointment, you will be given a slot at a time to suit the clinician, which may not suit your routine.
• If you fail to attend the second appointment, Canning Town dental practice will ask you to find a different dentist.
• If you attend the second appointment, we will do our best to accommodate your preferred day or time for your next appointment.

Attend regularly to keep up your NHS dental registration.

Many of our patients forget to make regular visits to see their dentist. And then, before they realise, it’s been over 14month!

Due to the high number of people wishing to receive NHS dental treatment and the very long waiting lists, we have no choice but to remove patients who have not attended for 24month from the NHS list.

We try to remind our patients when they are due for their dental examinations via text message and email However, we often find that many of our communications get returned as patients do not update their details with us.

What to do to keep your place on the NHS patient list:

• Always attend any appointment booked, or cancel the appointment more than 24 hours in advance.
• Make sure you book your next dental examination before you leave the practice. Whether it’s three, six, nine or even twelve months in advance, our reception teams will help you make your next appointment and send you reminders nearer the time as well.
• Check and update your contact details. Be sure they are correct, especially your email address and mobile phone. If we can keep in touch with you, then we can help you keep on track, so you don’t miss your appointment.
• If you are caring for an older person, then help them to keep up their registration too by tracking their appointments with them.

Use it! Don’t lose it!

If you are removed from the NHS patient list, you are no longer able to receive NHS treatment at the practice. If you want to receive NHS treatment again, you will need to contact the NHS and join the waiting list. As NHS waiting lists are long, it may be some time before you can join another practice. So our recommendation is that you protect your registered status.

Remember

Our recommendation is that you protect your registered status by attending your appointments, and booking your next appointment before you leave the practice

Your check list for staying on your dentists NHS list

• Attend all your appointments or cancel well in advance.
• Always book your next appointment before you leave the surgery.
• Keep your contact details up to date.
• Make sure you visit your dentist regularly (and don’t leave it for longer than two years).

Please inform us:

If you move out of the area, or if you decide to change your dental service provider, please let us know so we can update your records. It frees up a space on our list so another person can register.

Payment & Refund Policy

In compliance with NHS guidelines all patients are kindly asked to pay for their dental services prior to having a checkup or treatment. NHS fees are clearly explained in a leaflet which is obtainable from reception; they are also on display in the reception area. If a patient is exempt from NHS charges, proof will be required at the start of treatment. If proof is not shown we will have to charge the patient accordingly CTDP will endeavour to inform our patients at the start of treatment what.the cost for their treatment will be whether it is Private, NHS or combined. If a patient is having private treatment a consent form for this treatment will be signed before treatment commences. A form FP17DC will be given at the start of a course of NHS or combined NHS and private treatment, and a signature is required on this form. Our Practice maintains a strict payment policy where all payments for dental treatment should be paid in full prior to completion of treatment. It is the discretion of the treating dentist as to whether the full payment is required before the start of treatment. Payments can be made by cash or by debit card. Credit card payments will be accepted. If for whatever reason the fees are not paid, the CTDP will inform our patients via a text message/letter or email that there is money outstanding on their account and to refer to our payment policy on our website and to contact the practice for payment.

Payment Method

The following credit/debit cards are accepted: MasterCard, Maestro, Visa, Visa Electron.

Change of Details

You must inform the practice immediately of any changes to your contact details. Failure to do so will mean that we are not able to provide you with essential information and updates.

Cancellation of Courses of Treatment

If, for any reason, a course of treatment is cancelled, then we will make every reasonable effort to give the patient as much notice as possible. CanningTown Dental Practice’s maximum liability will be limited to a refund of the advance payment fee ONLY. Refunds will be made by the method in which the treatment booking was paid. We will not accept liability for any additional costs or losses incurred by a patient or organisations, which are claimed to have arisen through treatment cancellation. We reserve the right to vary arrangements for the delivery of a treatment plan and in such cases will make reasonable efforts to inform patients in advance.

Cancellation by the Patient

You may cancel a course of treatment for which you have booked an appointment and be fully refunded all fees for treatment not yet performed; provided you give the practice a minimum of 24 hours prior notice.

If 24 hours prior notice is not received, we reserve the right to withhold a proportionate amount of money, based upon the length of the appointment, to cover overheads.

However, this does not apply to NHS appointment’s, but we reserve the right to discontinue any NHS treatments and/or future care under the NHS.

We will refund the money to patients who wish to discontinue treatment at any time. A notice period of 14 days is required upon which they will be eligible for a refund of any amount paid for treatment that they did not receive.

If a patient is receiving any treatment that involves laboratory work and initial work has been carried out; i.e. if the patient is having crowns/bridges or a denture made, and the work has already been started or completed by the laboratory, a proportion of the fee taken on the preparation appointment will be kept to cover the cost of the laboratory invoice.

Please be aware that for NHS courses of treatments, the proportion of the fee is set by the NHS Business Services Authority, not the Practice.

Refunds will be processed within 14 days after receipt of your request in writing either by e-mail or post:

• info@canningtowndentalpractice.co.uk
• 156 Barking Rd., E16 1EN

If you have paid for services not yet provided, that does not involve a laboratory fee, we will either credit your account or refund the transaction paid by the method of which the original payment was made. If the method was cash and you are unable to collect the refund in person, it will be posted to you in the form of a cheque.

Treatment Warranty

Our warranty is against defects of workmanship or materials for a period. of one year from the date of provision. This provides for free replacement. within the warranty period. Where in the dentist’s opinion a replacement cannot be satisfactorily provided under guarantee, a refund will be provided if the following condition has met:

1. The patient has fully paid for the treatment and does not owe the practice any money for the treatment received.
2. The veneers, crowns, implants have not been damaged as a result of neglect, an accident, trauma, or excessive grinding
3. The patient has followed all maintenance and hygiene recommendations made by our dentists.
4. No treatment is guaranteed for more than 1 year. This is not because we expect the treatment to last only one year but if there was a fault in the componentry or materials this would be manifest within a shorter period and be rectified as required.
5. Dental implants have a lifetime parts guarantee as the componentry we use is premium and will be replaced by the company without fee. This, however, does not include fees for the dentists or laboratory time, which will be charged on a case-by-case basis.
6. Some treatments may have a guarantee of less than 1 year and where this is the case, the treating clinician will inform you.
7. Where a specific treatment was initially recommended by the dentist but the patient chose a different option.
8. Where a more expensive treatment is required as a lasting remedy. In such cases, the cost of the item under warranty will be deducted from the cost of the remedial treatment.
9. Where the dentist advised that a significant risk of failure existed but the patient elected to have treatment undertaken while knowing the risk.
10. Where root canal therapy is required to settle continuing or postoperative symptoms.
11. Re-cementation of crowns, inlays, veneers and bridgework where the item had not been initially provided by the practice in the previous year.
12. Treatment provided as ‘temporary or holding’ restorations which are of a ‘semipermanent’ nature.
13. Dentures where poor retention is an inherent factor of a small supporting ridge of bone or muscle intolerance.
14. Where the patient insists on a different clinician from the one originally providing the treatment.
15. Repairs, relines and adjustments of dentures where the denture was not provided by the practice within the preceding 12 months from the date of provision.
16. Dentures provided as an “immediate” or “post-immediate” where the healing process of extracted teeth had not been completed.

Code of Practice for Handling Complaints

In this practice, we take complaints very seriously and try to ensure that all patients are pleased with their experience of our services. When patients complain, they are dealt with courteously and promptly so that the matter is resolved as quickly as possible.

Complaints made to the practice

The person responsible for dealing with any complaints about the service is Lawarance gree If a patient complains on the telephone or at the reception desk, we will listen to his or he complaint and offer to refer him or her to Reza Shamisa. The member of staff will take brief details of the complaint and pass them on. If we cannot arrange this within a reasonable period or if the patient does not wish to wait to discuss the matter, arrangements will be made for someone to deal with it.

If the patient complains in writing the letter will be passed on immediately to Reza Shamisa. If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges it will normally be referred to the dentist, unless the patient does not want this to happen. We will acknowledge the patient’s complaint including a copy of this Code of Practice within three working days. You will be invited to discuss your concerns; we will seek to investigate the complaint within the agreed response period of the complaint being received to explain the circumstances which led to the complaint. If we are unable to investigate the complaint within this agreed time period, we will notify the patient, giving reasons for the delay and a likely period within which the investigation will be completed. We will confirm the decision about the complaint in writing immediately after completing our investigation. This will be within 14 days of the complaint received Proper and comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received. Canning Town Dental Practice welcomes all complaints; any patient that makes a complaint will not be adversely treated due to having complained. If you do not wish to complain directly to the Practice you can address your complaint directly to the relevant body. Should a patient make a complaint or claim, we may need to provide information about the patient, and treatment they have received, to insurers, indemnifiers or legal advisers.