It is the aim of this practice to provide quality dental care to our patients and to use clinical time effectively. To achieve this aim, we have an appointment management and cancellation policy.

Management of appointments

Our appointment system supports timely access to care and treatment, allows patients to access services at a time that suits them where possible and minimises the length of time people have to wait. Appointments can be made or rescheduled by calling our dedicated appointments line on 0151 709
9146Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm.

Reminders

Text message reminders are sent to patients 2 days before any appointment and patients are requested
to inform the practice of any changes to their contact details.

Cancellation or delay of an appointment by the practice

We will only cancel or delay a patient’s appointment in unavoidable circumstances. In such cases, we will take the following steps:

- The patient will be contacted as soon as the practice is aware of the need to cancel or delay the appointment. We will

explain the reason for the cancellation or delay

- At the time of contact, the patient will be offered a new appointment at the earliest time available

- If the patient is unable to commit to a new appointment during that contact, we will ask them to get in touch at a later time, when we will offer them a priority appointment

Cancellation of an appointment or missed appointment by a patient

We understand that plans can change. If you need to cancel or rearrange your appointment, please provide at least 24 hours' notice.

Providing sufficient notice allows us to offer your appointment to another patient. Appointments cancelled or rearranged with less than 24 hours' notice, or appointments that are missed without notice, may result in the loss of your deposit.

Patients are requested to give at least 24 hours’ notice to cancel a dental appointment. Cancellations should be made by telephone on: 0151 709 9146. Late cancellations and missed appointments may represent a cost to the practice (i.e. loss of deposit) , when other patients could have been seen in the time set aside for the patient.

We may make a charge of up to £50 per 30 minutes for a late cancellation or missed appointment. The fee is based on the length of the appointment.

It is our aim to telephone patients after a missed appointment to understand the reason for non-attendance and to inform them about any fee or decision.

We understand that cancellations are sometimes unavoidable due to illness or emergencies and we will take account of all valid circumstances.

Any appeals about missed or cancelled appointment decisions by a patient should be made in writing to the Practice Manager, Leah Mclean.

Deposit Policy

A deposit is required to secure certain appointments and treatment bookings. All deposits are non-refundable. Deposits will not be refunded if you cancel your appointment, choose not to proceed with treatment, or if your treatment plan changes.

If your treatment plans change, or you decide to have a different treatment at our practice, your deposit will remain as a credit on your account and may be redeemed against alternative treatment or a future appointment, provided it has not been forfeited under the Cancellation Policy.

Where you provide at least 24 hours' notice to cancel or rearrange your appointment, your deposit will be retained as a credit on your account for future use. It will not be refunded.

By booking an appointment and paying a deposit, you acknowledge and agree to this Cancellation and Deposit Policy.