Dental Centre Bournemouth – Missed Appointment (FTA/DNA) and Deposits Policy

At Dental Centre Bournemouth, our aim is to provide quality dental care to all our patients in a timely and efficient manner. When an appointment is booked, that highly valuable clinical time is reserved exclusively for you.

“Failed to Attend” (FTA) or “Did Not Attend” (DNA) appointments, alongside late cancellations, significantly impact our ability to offer these slots to other patients who may be in urgent need or pain. We kindly ask all patients to respect our booking terms.

The 24-Hour Notice Period

If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, we require a minimum of 24 hours’ notice (excluding Sundays and Bank Holidays). This allows our team enough time to offer the appointment slot to someone else.

Private Patient Terms (Deposits & Fees)

• Booking Deposits: To secure your appointment, a fully refundable deposit or pre-payment may be required at the time of booking, depending on the appointment type and duration. Any remaining balance for your treatment is due on the day of your appointment.
• Late Cancellations & Missed Appointments: If you cancel your appointment with less than 24 hours’ notice, or fail to attend entirely, your deposit may be forfeited.
• Discretionary Booking Fees: For longer treatment appointments or where a patient has a history of multiple missed appointments, a charge proportional to the length of the missed booking may be applied to your account before any future appointments can be scheduled.

NHS Patient Terms (Failed to Attend Policy)

Under strict NHS regulations, we are not permitted to fine or charge NHS patients for missing an appointment or cancelling late. However, to maintain the fairness and viability of our NHS services, we operate the following strict policy:

• De-registration Risk: If an NHS patient fails to attend two appointments, or cancels late twice within a 12-month period without a valid, proven medical reason, Dental Centre Bournemouth reserves the right to terminate your NHS care.
• Loss of NHS Status: Following a second missed or late-cancelled appointment, you may be formally de-registered as an NHS patient at this practice. Any future care at Dental Centre Bournemouth would then only be offered on a private basis, subject to availability.

Late Arrivals

We understand that delays can happen; however, arriving late disrupts the entire clinic’s schedule and compromises patient care.

• Please aim to arrive 5–10 minutes prior to your scheduled time to complete any necessary medical history forms.
• If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, the clinician may no longer be able to see you safely. In this scenario, it will be classified as a missed appointment and subject to the terms listed above.

Exceptional Circumstances

We appreciate that genuine emergencies occur. If you miss an appointment due to sudden illness or an unavoidable emergency, please contact our Reception Team as soon as possible. Management reviews these instances on an individual basis and retains ultimate discretion over fees or registration status.