We understand that sometimes you may need to cancel or rearrange a dental appointment. We ask patients to provide a minimum of 48 hours’ notice when cancelling or rearranging an appointment. We ask that you give us as much notice as possible so that we have the opportunity to offer the appointment to another patient. We appreciate that, in an emergency or unexpected circumstance, this may not always be possible.

Missed appointments and cancellations at short notice without a valid reason prevent us from offering appointments to other patients who may require care.

When is an appointment considered to be missed?

An appointment will be considered a missed appointment if:

• You fail to attend your scheduled appointment without contacting us.
• You arrive more than 15 minutes late, meaning that we are unable to provide the planned treatment.
• You do not provide sufficient notice for us to offer the appointment to another patient.

Repeated missed appointments

If you fail to attend or cancel an appointment at short notice for the first time, we will send you a letter or email reminding you of our cancellation policy and asking that you provide appropriate notice in future.

If you have had two missed appointments or short notice cancellations, we may advise you that we are unable to book further appointments without prior payment upfront to secure the appointment.

This policy helps us to use our appointment time effectively and ensures that we can offer appointments to patients who need them.

Cancellations due to illness

If you are experiencing symptoms of a stomach bug or respiratory illness, including COVID-19, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can rearrange your appointment for when you are feeling better.

In these circumstances, the usual 48-hour cancellation period will not apply. We would much rather rearrange your appointment than have you attend while unwell, helping to protect our patients and our team.

Thank you for your understanding.