General Information

General Infomation for Temple Street Dental Practice

Payment

We accept the following methods of payment at the practice: Cash and all major credit and debit cards. We do not accept cheques.

Missed Appointments

Please try to arrive on time for your appointment or a few minutes early if it is your first visit to us so that you have time to fill in the necessary forms.

Missed NHS appointments: If, on more than one occasion in a year, you cancel an NHS appointment with less than 24 hours’ notice or fail to attend an NHS appointment, we will no longer be able to offer you further NHS appointments or treatment at this practice.

Missed Private appointments: If you cancel a private appointment with less than 24 hours’ notice or fail to attend a private appointment, a charge of £80 per hour pro-rata will be made if we are not able to re-book the time or use it for another patient.

Appointment Reminders

As a courtesy, we attempt to remind our patients of appointments by email. If we are not able to contact you, it is still your responsibility to attend the appointment and our missed appointment policy will still apply. Please ensure that you advise us of any change in your contact details.

Returning for Treatment

Any treatment plan issued by us for recommended dental treatment will be valid for two months from the date of issue. If you do not arrange the necessary appointments within this time, your course of treatment will be closed, and the fees for the continuation of treatment may change.

Out-of-hours Dental Emergencies

Please call the East Oxford Emergency Dental Clinic. Tel: 0845 345 8995 (Open 6.30pm – 9.30pm weekday evenings, all day at weekends and bank holidays).

This is a service provided by the local Primary Care Trust (PCT) which is responsible for commissioning dental services in this area. Alternatively, you can contact NHS Direct, on 0845 4647, or online at www.nhs.uk.

Disabilities

The practice has wheelchair-accessible surgeries. Please advise us of any disability prior to your visit.

Preference for a particular dentist

You can express a preference about which dentist you will see. We will make all reasonable efforts to ensure that the request is met, but this may not always be possible. If you have a preference of practitioner, please advise us when booking your appointment. On occasion, it may be necessary for us to arrange for you to be seen by a different dentist than that agreed at the time of booking your appointment.

Languages

Various members of our staff speak Punjabi, Hindi, Polish, Cantonese, Mandarin and Spanish. Please specify if you would like to be booked with a dentist, or team member, who has these language skills. Please also try to bring your own translator if possible.

Patient Confidentiality

All your personal information is treated in the strictest confidence. Only members of staff have access to patient information and we have a strict confidentiality policy. To see a copy of this policy, please ask at reception.

Abusive Patients

Patients who are violent or abusive to practice personnel, to other patients or anyone else on the practice premises, will be refused treatment and reported to the appropriate authorities.

Complaints Procedure

If you should have any comments or complaints, please contact Louise on 01865 922111 who will be able to deal with your complaint and talk you through our procedure. If you are not comfortable talking to Shannon, please contact another member of the practice staff. You can collect a copy of our complaints procedure from reception.

Further information about local NHS dental services

Contact: Oxfordshire NHS Area Team, Jubilee House, 5510 John Smith Drive, Oxford Business Park South, Oxford, OX4 2LH.

Useful Links

Below are some links to useful websites:

• NHS Direct
• NHS Charges
• British Dental Health Foundation
• Dictionary Explaining Dental Terms