Private Patient Attendance Policy
Boroughbridge Dental Centre
At Boroughbridge Dental Centre, we value your trust and are dedicated to providing you with personalised, high-quality dental care. To ensure we can continue to offer this service efficiently and fairly to all our patients, we kindly ask for your cooperation with our appointment policy.
What does “Failure to Attend” (FTA) mean?
FTA means missing a scheduled appointment without giving us sufficient notice. This includes not arriving for your appointment or cancelling at very short notice. Such last-minute cancellations or missed visits can disrupt our schedule and prevent other patients from receiving timely care.
Why do we have this policy?
Repeated missed appointments, including Failures to Attend (FTA) and Short Notice Cancellations (SNC), impact not only your treatment but also the smooth running of our practice and other patients’ care. To provide fair access and maintain a high standard of service, we need to manage our appointments carefully and ensure availability for everyone.
How the policy works:
● New Patient Examinations and Hygiene Appointments: A £30 deposit will be required at the time of booking. This deposit will be credited towards your treatment. For any treatment or appointment over 40 minutes, a £70 deposit will be required upfront.
● First Appointment – Short Notice Cancellation or Failure to Attend: If you cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice or do not attend your first appointment, the deposit will be retained to cover the cost of that appointment. A new deposit will then be required to reschedule and confirm your appointment.
● Second Appointment – Short Notice Cancellation or Failure to Attend: For a second instance of a short notice cancellation or failure to attend, a 50% deposit will be required when rebooking. This deposit will be credited towards your treatment, but if you cancel or fail to attend again with less than 24 hours’ notice, the deposit will be retained and further deposits may be needed to reschedule.
● Third Appointment – Short Notice Cancellation or Failure to Attend: If a third short notice cancellation or failure to attend occurs, we will require full payment for your treatment upfront before we can reschedule. This step is necessary to fairly manage our limited capacity and ensure availability for all patients. Continued cancellations or failures may result in the termination of your treatment plan with us.
What we kindly ask from you:
Please give us at least 24-48 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule. We understand that emergencies and unforeseen circumstances can happen, and we are compassionate about that.
● By providing notice in advance, you help us offer your appointment slot to another patient who may be waiting for care.
● Your cooperation helps us keep our practice fair, efficient, and accessible for everyone.
If you decide to leave or are unable to continue treatment:
Should you choose to end your treatment with us or find it difficult to meet the policy requirements, we are happy to provide your dental records and any necessary information to facilitate your transition to another provider.
Our commitment:
We appreciate your understanding and support in maintaining a high standard of care for all our patients. Your attendance and cooperation are essential to helping us deliver friendly, accessible, and effective dental services.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss your treatment options, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly reception team.
Thank you for your continued trust and cooperation.
