Short Notice Cancellation & Failed to Attend Policy

Effective Date: 15/01/2026

This policy applies to all appointments booked from this point forward.

Cancellation Period

Patients must provide a minimum of 24 hours’ notice from the time the appointment was booked to cancel or reschedule an appointment without charge.

Appointments that are:

• Cancelled within 24 hours, or
• Not attended (Did Not Attend / DNA)

will be subject to a cancellation fee, as outlined below.

Contacting the Practice

If we are closed (e.g. over a weekend), or if you are unable to get through by phone due to the practice being busy, please:

• Leave a voicemail, or
• Email the practice

The time of your message will be honoured when assessing notice given.

Cancellation Fee Structure

Our fee structure is designed to be fair and transparent:

• Appointments under £100

→ Full appointment cost will be charged
Example: £80 appointment = £80 fee

• Appointments over £100
→ £100 minimum charge plus 50% of the amount over £100
Example: £104 appointment
= £100 + 50% of £4 (£2)
= £102 fee

If you have an appointment which is free of charge, for example a review, you will be charged the minimum treatment fee which is £55.

Why This Policy Is Necessary

We understand that unexpected situations can arise, and we recognise that this policy may feel unfair to some. Please be assured this decision was not made lightly.

Missed and short-notice cancelled appointments have a significant impact on the practice. Empty clinical time cannot usually be filled at short notice and this affects our ability to:

• Provide timely appointments to other patients
• Maintain safe staffing levels
• Cover the substantial costs of running a dental practice

With ongoing cost-of-living pressures and rising operational costs, dentistry is increasingly expensive to deliver. While fees may appear high, the practice is not highly profitable once all costs are considered.

We always aim to be fair and compassionate, however applying discretion inconsistently can be difficult. There have unfortunately been occasions where patients have cancelled due to illness but attended once made aware of the charge, or have later been seen socially. This makes it challenging to apply exceptions fairly across all patients.

Please understand this policy is not due to a lack of compassion. We care deeply about our patients. However, we also have a responsibility to protect the practice, which in turn protects our staff, their livelihoods, and the ongoing care we provide.

Supporting Fair Access to Appointments

We kindly ask all patients to provide as much notice as possible when cancelling or rescheduling. Doing so allows us to offer appointments to other patients who may be waiting for care.

NHS Appointment Attendance Policy

Failure to Attend First NHS Appointment

If you miss your first NHS appointment without providing prior notice, you will not be offered any future NHS appointments at this practice.

Short-Notice Cancellation of First NHS Appointment

If you cancel your first NHS appointment with less than 24 hours’ notice, you will not be offered any future NHS appointments at this practice.

Repeated Missed or Short-Notice Cancelled Appointments

If you miss or cancel appointments at short notice on two occasions within a 12-month period, you will no longer be eligible for NHS appointments at this practice.

Routine Dental Examinations

NHS patients are expected to attend routine dental examinations as advised by their dentist.

If you do not attend a routine examination for over 12 months, we will assume you no longer require NHS care and you will not be offered further NHS appointments.

Why This Policy Is Important

Due to ongoing pressures within NHS dentistry and the increasing demand for appointments — including the rise in preventable issues such as childhood tooth decay — it is essential that appointments are used effectively.

Since implementing this policy, our short-notice cancellations and missed appointment rates have reduced from 72% to 18%, allowing significantly more patients to access timely dental care.

We understand that attending appointments can sometimes be challenging. If you are unable to attend, please contact us as early as possible so we can offer your appointment to another patient in need.