Appointments Policy

At Southside Dental Care we will endeavour to manage our appointments system to avoid delays in appointment times and minimise loss of surgery time through cancellations and failed appointments.

In our practice we

• Communicate with patients in a courteous, friendly, professional manner
• Make sure that patients receive full information about our services, their treatment and its cost
• Provide advice and treatment outside normal surgery hours where necessary
• Refer patients for further professional advice and treatment where appropriate

In our practice we will

• Manage our appointments system to the best of our abilities so that treatment appointments are booked no more than 6 weeks ahead.
• Ensure that patients should have to wait no longer than 10 minutes to be seen. Where there is a further delay, we will explain the reasons.
• Remind patients of their appointment by phone, email or text (as preferred) where the appointment time exceeds 5 minutes
• Monitor our waiting times for (i) treatment and (ii) for booking appointments
• Provide as much notice as possible when appointments have to be changed or cancelled and explain the reasons
• Advise patients if there is a change of dentist

In return, we would like you to

• Participate in your dental treatment, particularly any advice about prevention and diet that we have asked you to continue at home
• Arrive on time for your appointment. Please give the practice at least 24 hours notice if you are unable to keep your appointment.  We will charge for failed to attend or short notice cancelled appointments. The charge is 50p per minute of the missed appointment.
• If you miss an appointment on more than one occasion without letting us know, we may need to review future provision of treatment for you at the practice.
• Advise us of any changes to your contact details (address, telephone numbers, email) to help us keep our records up to date and ensure that we are able to contact you