Current NHS adult patient policy

Patients have not been formally registered with NHS dental practices since the 2006 contract changes,

which introduced payment based on units of dental activity rather than per registered patient.

They are considered patients of the practice only while undergoing a course of NHS treatment.

We currently aim to offer NHS care to patients who have attended for an NHS examination or treatment

within the last two years, subject to capacity.

While patients can join a dental practice, this does not guarantee entitlement to NHS care, which remains at the discretion of the practice.

We have always been, and remain, a practice committed to NHS dental care.

We aim to send patients regular reminders for their dental examination and utilise emails to communicate with our patients, but we cannot guarantee that every patient will receive these reminders if their email address has not been provided or out of date.

It is therefore the responsibility of each patient to ensure they attend regularly to maintain access to NHS Dental care.

It is important to follow the rules of the practice to ensure you have continued access to NHS dental care.

We do not charge patients for missed or short notice cancellations, however, if you miss, cancel on short notice, or arrive late for your appointment then we may decline future appointments as detailed in our Failed To Attend Policy.