We are delighted that you have chosen one of Obex Dental’s leading practices for your dental care needs and the practice team is committed to always providing you with excellent clinical treatment and patient care throughout your journey. In order for us to maintain this level of service, we do have set terms and conditions for dental appointments which we require all patients to adhere to. These terms vary depending on whether you are an NHS or private patient as detailed below.
We kindly ask that you provide a minimum of 48 hours’ notice if you need to cancel an appointment. Failure to contact the practice at least 24 hours in advance will result in the appointment being recorded as a short-notice cancellation.
Failure to attend a scheduled appointment without prior notification will be recorded on your practice profile as a Failure to Attend (FTA).
If an adult patient accumulates three short-notice cancellations and/or failures to attend within a 12-month period, the practice reserves the right to remove the patient from receiving NHS care at the practice.
Exceptional circumstances will be considered at the discretion of the practice management team.
Unfortunately, our NHS capacity is limited, and it is important for us to deliver the best possible care to our patients. Every missed appointment or late cancellation prevents us from providing care to another patient in need.
Children – Was Not Brought (WNB) Policy
If a child is not brought to a routine dental examination or outstanding treatment appointment, this will be recorded as Was Not Brought (WNB).
Repeated WNBs may indicate a potential safeguarding concern. Each situation will be reviewed individually, taking into account the child’s dental needs, family circumstances, and any previous attendance history.
If concerns are identified, the practice has a duty of care to follow local safeguarding procedures, which may include discussion with the practice safeguarding lead and, where appropriate, escalation to relevant safeguarding services.
For our private patients, we have similar policies in place to ensure efficient scheduling and quality care:
A minimum of 48 hours’ notice is required for appointment cancellations. Failure to comply may result in a short-notice cancellation fee, determined by the practice management team and clinician.
If you fail to attend a booked appointment without prior notification, a non-attendance fee will be applied, calculated based on the lost surgery time. Exceptional circumstances will be reviewed and addressed by the practice management team.
We are committed to keeping our patients informed and engaged in their dental care. As part of this commitment, we operate a recall system.
Patients will receive recall reminders to help ensure they are informed and prepared for their appointments. However, it remains the patient’s responsibility to maintain regular attendance.
In line with NHS guidance, patients are considered lapsed after two years of non-attendance. If the practice has NHS availability, you may be offered the opportunity to re-register as a new NHS patient, which will begin a new two-year attendance period from the date of your last visit.
If you fail to attend again within two years of that visit, you will be classed as lapsed once more.
This policy helps us maintain good availability of NHS appointments while managing our limited capacity.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding these policies, please feel free to contact a member of our team, who will be happy to assist you.
We want you to be entirely satisfied with your care and treatment. All treatments are guaranteed for one year. If there is a failure within this period, we will offer a free repair, replacement, or a full or partial refund, depending on the circumstances.
All refunds are issued by cheque and may take up to 14 days to process.
If you are not satisfied with the care or service provided, please speak to a member of the practice management team, who will address your complaint in accordance with our complaints procedure.
01582 601 351