LOSS OF NHS PLACE AND ARCHIVING POLICY
Our practice policy is to prioritise our regular attending patients in line with NHS guidelines. If you have not attended the practice for a routine check-up in the last three years or contacted us to try and book one over the period of which we were unable to see you, you will automatically be removed from our NHS list. You will have to re-register as a new patient if and when spaces become available. Please note that our NHS waiting list that you will be added to is very long.
The practice requests that any appointment that the patient cannot attend should be cancelled with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice. If this is not adhered to then a notification will be recorded in the patient’s notes as a late cancellation. A patient who fails to attend or cancels 2 appointments at short notice within a 12-month period will lose their NHS entitlement at the practice. We understand that sometimes mitigating circumstances mean appointments are cancelled with short notice. These will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
If you wish to be seen sooner you will have to register as a new private patient with one of our private dentists. If you are looking for an emergency on appointment and there are emergency slots not allocated to our regular patients on the day, and you are an unregistered patient or have lost your place as an NHS patient, you may be seen for a one-off emergency appointment. However, if there are no remaining slots you will have to call 111.
Please also remember that it is not our responsibility as a busy practice to have to remind you to book your appointment or to attend your appointment.