Appointment Cancellation and Rescheduling Policy for All NHS and Private Patients
We understand that sometimes plans change. To help us keep appointments available for everyone, we ask that you give us as much notice as possible if you need to cancel or reschedule.
How Much Notice Do We Need?
- Appointments up to two hours – at least two working days’ notice.
- Implant treatments (surgery) – at least seven working days’ notice.
A “working day” is defined as Monday to Friday, excluding weekends and bank holidays. Notice must be given during our normal opening hours. If notice is sent outside these hours, it will be counted from the next working day.
You can cancel or reschedule your appointment by calling (01474) 537191 or emailing info@parrockdental.co.uk.
If You Give Less Notice Than Required
- Private patients: Deposits paid may be retained where insufficient notice is given. In addition, the practice reserves the right to charge up to the full value of the missed appointment where a significant amount of clinical time has been reserved and the appointment cannot reasonably be filled.
- NHS patients: The missed appointment will be recorded and may affect your NHS registration with us.
Deposits for Cosmetic, Implant and Extended Appointments
To secure appointments requiring significant clinical time, specialist clinicians or laboratory work, the following deposits are required:
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Dental Implant Treatment, including All-on-4:
A minimum deposit of 30% of the treatment fee is required to secure your surgery date. -
All-on-4 treatment:
£5,000 of the booking deposit per arch will be non-refundable where:- You cancel or reschedule your surgical appointment with fewer than seven working days’ notice.
- You fail to attend your scheduled surgical appointment.
- The planned treatment is unable to proceed at the scheduled appointment due to patient-related factors outside the reasonable control of the practice, including failure to follow pre-operative instructions or to provide information or documentation reasonably required for treatment to proceed safely.
-
Cosmetic treatments:
Cosmetic Treatments, including Composite Bonding, Veneers, Smile Makeovers and similar elective cosmetic procedures, require a deposit of 50% of the treatment fee. -
Extended Clinical Appointments:
Appointments lasting two hours or more, or where dedicated surgery time has been reserved, require a deposit of 50% of the treatment fee, at the discretion of the practice.
Deposits form part payment towards the treatment cost and will be deducted from your final balance when treatment proceeds as planned.
Where insufficient notice is given to cancel or rearrange an appointment, or where a patient fails to attend, the practice reserves the right to retain all or part of the deposit to cover the reserved clinical time, laboratory costs and associated business losses.
Repeated Late Cancellations or Missed Appointments
We run a waiting list so other patients can be seen quickly. If you cancel at short notice or miss appointments repeatedly, we may:
- Move you further down our waiting list, delaying your care.
- De-register you from the practice. NHS patients may be removed from our NHS list, while private patients may be refused further treatment.
Online Bookings
The £30 refundable deposit for online consultations will be lost if you cancel outside the notice period of two working days.
If you have X-rays or scans during your consultation, your deposit will go towards the cost of those services. We’ll always confirm costs with you before proceeding.
All bookings will be confirmed by the practice within 48 hours. We will attempt to contact you by telephone first. If we are unable to reach you, we will send confirmation by email instead.
Once you have received confirmation from us by either telephone or email, your appointment is confirmed. Please ensure the contact details provided when booking are correct and check your email, including your junk/spam folder, for confirmation.
External Referrals
Patients who have been referred externally, for example, to hospitals or specialist services, must continue to attend their regular dental check-ups at our practice every six months.
This ensures that we can maintain oversight of your oral health and provide continuity of care alongside any external treatment. The same applies to our NHS and private patients.
NHS Patient Registration
NHS patients are required to attend routine dental examinations to maintain their NHS registration at our practice.
If an NHS patient does not attend for a period of two years, their NHS registration will lapse, and they may lose their place at the practice.
Important Travel Note
Please allow extra time for your journey. Traffic or transport delays are not accepted as reasons for late arrival or missed appointments.
Why Does This Matter?
These steps help us run on time, keep treatment accessible for all patients and reduce waiting times.
Deregistration for lapsed patients enables us to provide healthcare for those currently on our NHS waiting list.
Acceptance of This Policy
By booking an appointment and paying any required deposit, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and accepted this Appointment Cancellation and Rescheduling Policy.
The practice reserves the right to require a deposit for any appointment where significant clinical time has been reserved, irrespective of the type of treatment being provided.
Thank you for helping us provide the best care for everyone.