Policies

Complaints

Please contact the practice with any concerns and we will try our best to address them.

If you feel your complaint has not been dealt with correctly you may also choose to contact the following organisations:

Dental Complaints Service Tel: 0845 120540
Care Quality Commission Tel: 0300 0616161
General Dental Council Tel: 0845 2224141

You will not be discriminated against if you lodge a complaint.

Consent

For simple treatments such as check up, hygiene, small fillings a verbal informed consent is acceptable.
However for anything else, including treatments on children and vulnerable individuals a consent to treatment will need to be signed by an informed carer.

Refund

A filling, root canal filling, implant, crown, bridge, inlay, onlay or veneer needing to be replaced within a year of placement, the restoration will be redone free of charge.
Due to the subjective nature of the treatment and variable individual outcomes, tooth lightening and mostly-cosmetic orthodontic treatments are not refundable
After one year it is at the discretion of the dentist to redo any failed treatment free of charge or after partial payment.
If the patient is still dissatisfied with a denture after one year and necessary adjustments have been made a full refund will be made on the condition that the dentures are returned to the practice.
This policy is valid for normal use of restorations and if all instructions given by the dentist are followed including routine check-up and hygiene visits.
In cases where there is an increased risk of failure, the patient will be notified and if they decide to go ahead regardless, this refund policy will not apply.

Non Attendance / Late Cancellation

If you do not provide a 24 hour working day notice for a cancelation or fail to attend an appointment that you have arranged, a fee of £ 100 to £ 300 may be charged according to the length of the appointment.

We always work hard to be on time. If you are more than 15 minutes late for an appointment we cannot guarantee to be able to see you.

Confidentiality

At this practice, the need for the strict confidentiality of personal information abou is taken very seriously.

The importance of confidentiality

The relationship between dentist and patient is based on the understanding that any information revealed by the patient to the dentist will not be divulged without the patient’s consent. Patients have the right to privacy and it is vital that they give the dentist full information on their state of health to ensure that treatment is carried out safely. The intensely personal nature of health information means that many patients would be reluctant to provide the dentist with information if they were not sure that it would not be passed on. If confidentiality is breached, the dentist/dental hygienist/dental therapist/dental nurse faces investigation by the General Dental Council and possible erasure from the Dentists or DCP Register; and may also face legal action by the patient for damages and, for dentists, prosecution for breach of the 1998 Data Protection Act.

What is personal information?

In a dental context, personal information held by a dentist about a patient includes:

• the patient’s name, current and previous addresses, bank account/credit card details, telephone number/e-mail address and other means of personal identification such as physical description

• information that the individual is or has been a patient of the practice or attended, cancelled or failed to attend an appointment on a certain day

• information concerning the patient’s physical, mental or oral health or condition

• information about the treatment that is planned, is being or has been provided

• information about family members and personal circumstances supplied by the patient to others

• the amount that was paid for treatment, the amount owing or the fact that the patient is a debtor to the practice.

This practice has adopted the following three principles of confidentiality:

Personal information about a patient:

• is confidential in respect of that patient and to those providing the patient with health care

• should only be disclosed to those who would be unable to provide effective care and treatment without that information (the need-to-know concept) and

• such information should not be disclosed to third parties without the consent of the patient except in certain specific circumstances described in this policy.

Disclosures to third parties

There are certain restricted circumstances in which a dentist may decide to disclose information to a third party or may be required to disclose by law. Responsibility for disclosure rests with the patient’s dentist and under no circumstances can any other member of staff make a decision to disclose. A brief summary of the circumstances is given below.

When disclosure is in the public interest

There are certain circumstances where the wider public interest outweighs the rights of the patient to confidentiality. This might include cases where disclosure would prevent a serious future risk to the public or assist in the prevention or prosecution of serious crime.

When disclosure can be made

There are circumstances when personal information can be disclosed:

• where expressly the patient has given consent to the disclosure

• where disclosure is necessary for the purpose of enabling someone else to provide health care to the patient and the patient has consented to this sharing of information

• where disclosure is required by statute or is ordered by a court of law

• where disclosure is necessary for a dentist to pursue a bona-fide legal claim against a patient, when disclosure to a solicitor, court or debt collecting agency may be necessary.

• referral of the patient to another dentist or health care provider such as a hospital.

Data protection code of practice

The Practice’s Data protection code of practice provides the required procedures to ensure that we comply with the 1998 Data Protection Act. It is a condition of engagement that everyone at the practice complies with the code of practice.

Access to records

Patients have the right of access to their health records held on paper or on computer. A request from a patient to see records or for a copy must be referred to the patient’s dentist. The patient should be given the opportunity of coming into the practice to discuss the records and will then be given a photocopy. Care should be taken to ensure that the individual seeking access is the patient in question and where necessary the practice will seek information from the patient to confirm identity. The copy of the record must be supplied within forty days of payment of the fee and receipt of identifying information if this is requested.

Access may be obtained by making a request in writing or verbally in person and the payment of a fee for access of up to £25 (for records held on computer) or £80 (for those held manually or for computer-held records with non-computer radiographs) may be required. We will provide a copy of the record within 40 days of the request and fee (where payable) and an explanation of your record should you require it.