Missed Appointments and Late Cancellations
Sutton Dentists is committed and determined to provide all our patients with exceptional dental care and service.
We understand that plans may change resulting in you being unable to attend your appointment and we are more than happy to rearrange appointments, provided we have sufficient notice.
We ask patients to please not rely on our appointment reminders. Please note that these measures are not contractual but are provided as a courtesy to our patients. They are also not guaranteed and ultimately, it is everybody’s duty to remember their own appointments. Consequently, missed appointments cannot be blamed on not receiving our reminders. We understand that sometimes cancellations cannot be helped due to illness or emergency, and we will take all valid circumstances into account.
- The main reason for a courtesy notice of 2 working days is it gives us the opportunity to contact patients who are on the waiting list for either emergency appointments or continuing treatment.
- For the purpose of this policy a short notice cancellation is considered to be less than 48 hours from your appointment or two full working days. We occasionally work on Saturdays so for the sake of clarity, we do not count Saturdays as working days. For example, a cancellation for a Monday morning 9 a.m. appointment must be notified to us by Thursday 9 a.m. before the weekend. Similarly, cancellations on Tuesday after a Monday bank holiday, must be notified with two full working days’ notice, usually the previous Thursday before the bank holiday.
- Late arrival is ten minutes or half of the appointment slot (whatever is shorter).
A notice to Private patients
Due to several missed appointments by new patients that require emergency treatment, the practice will take £65 deposit over the phone before new patients attend the practice.
If you are unable to make your appointment, we require 48 hours’ notice to reschedule or refund your money.
| Length of time slot up to – in minutes | Hygienists | Dentists |
|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes | £70 | Depends on the treatment. |
| 60 minutes | £140 | Depends on the treatment. |
A notice to NHS patients
If more than one NHS dental appointments are missed or cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice, we do not guarantee being able to complete a patient’s NHS treatment or offer you NHS treatment in the future.
It is our aim to telephone or write to patients after a missed appointment to understand the reason for non-attendance and to inform them about any decision made about their NHS dental care.