NHS Dental Registration Policy

It is important to look after your NHS dental registration. During the pandemic it may have been difficult to make an appointment. Even now with the vaccination programme having a positive effect, sometimes patients still have to cancel because they feel unwell or need to self-isolate. Please be careful to follow the advice below to stay on the books.

Right now, if you’re enrolled with an NHS practice, you may be finding it hard to get a dental appointment. This is particularly true in the South West of England. Here, we explain why that’s happening, we explain the action we’re taking, and the action you can take so there’s NHS dental care for you and your family.

Your enrolment on an NHS patient list with a practice you trust is a valuable thing. Please treasure it.

In short, there are four crucial points to remember if you wish to continue as an NHS patient with Dulverton Dental practice:

1 Don’t miss an appointment or be late for an appointment.

2 Don’t allow more than two years to lapse between appointments.

3 Ensure you pay your account in full after each appointment

4 Be respectful and kind to all our staff members

While most patients respect the time they are allocated, patients arriving late, or not at all, prevent other patients from accessing care. Please take a few moments to read the information below.

Keep your appointment to keep your NHS dental registration
As the pandemic is still with us, dental practices are still working under strict regulations and face challenging time restrictions. Whether you are visiting a dentist, hygienist or therapist, their time is tightly scheduled. Please respect it.

If you have an appointment, please make sure you don’t forget it.

Please take every step necessary to make sure that you arrive in good time. Practices need to be really strict about both missed appointments and late arrivals. If you have to cancel, make sure you do so at least 24 hours in advance.

“We’re sorry, but…

We value all of our patients, and we don’t want to have to tell anyone, “We’re sorry but we must ask you to find a different dental practice for your treatment.” It is, however, the procedure we must follow.

Please note:

• After one missed appointment, your non-attendance or late attendance will be recorded, a letter sent advising of this and when contact made again we will offer the next available appointment.

• If you fail to attend the second appointment, we will write to you ask you to find a different dentist, and you will not be able to register with us again.

Attend regularly to keep up your NHS dental registration

Many of our patients forget to make regular visits to see their dentist. And then, before they realise, it’s been over two years!

Please be warned!

Due to the high number of people wishing to receive NHS dental treatment and the very long waiting lists, your dental practice has no choice but to remove patients who have not attended for two years or more from the NHS list.

While we appreciate that the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020 meant that dentists were not able to see their patients for three months, practices opened again and have worked hard to catch up with patient needs. Please remember it’s important to follow up on regular attendance at the practice for you and your family.

We try to remind our patients when they are due for their dental examinations via email and text message. However, we often find that many of our communications get returned as patients do not update their details with us.

What to do to keep your place on the NHS patient list:

* Always attend any appointment booked, or cancel the appointment more than 24 hours in advance.

* Make sure you book your next dental examination before you leave the practice. Whether it’s three, six, nine or even twelve months in advance, our reception teams will help you make your next appointment, and send you reminders nearer the time as well.

*Pay for your appointment on the day, do not expect us to send you an invoice or an account.

* Check and update your contact details. Be sure they are correct, especially your email address and mobile phone. If we can keep in touch with you, then we can help you keep on track so you don’t miss your appointment.

* If you are caring for an older person, then help them to keep up their registration too by tracking their appointments with them.

Use it! Don’t lose it!

If you are removed from the NHS patient list, you are no longer able to receive NHS treatment at the practice.  If you want to receive NHS treatment again, you will need to contact the NHS and join the waiting list. As NHS waiting lists are long, it may be some time before you can join another practice. So, our recommendation is that you protect your registered status.

Remember:

Our recommendation is that you protect your registered status by attending your appointments, and booking your next appointment before you leave the practice.

Your check list for staying on your dentists NHS list:

• Attend all your appointments or cancel well in advance.

• Always book your next appointment before you leave the surgery.

• Keep your contact details up to date.

• Make sure you visit your dentist regularly (and don’t leave it for longer than two years).

Please let us know if you move out of the area, or if you decide to change your dental service provider, please let us know so we can update your records. Moreover, it frees up a space on our list so another person can register.

Remember to update your personal information if you phone number, email or address changes so we can remind you when you are overdue for an appointment.

Due for review again August 2024