We allow you two weeks to book in for a recalled appointment before we look to book your slot with someone else.
The appointment you make should be within 2 months of your reminder email in order to keep your maintain your recall frequency.
If you dont then you may be asked to join our NHS waiting list (long and slow moving) to be seen again on the NHS.
With immediate effect all NHS recall are going to be done by email only. If you want us to remind you of your need to come in for a check up please make sure we have your current email address in our records.
It is up to you to make sure that the email doesn’t go into into your spam folders.
Remember, it is also up to the patient to make a note of their recall interval when they visits the dentist and book appointments accordingly. We do our best to automatically recall you however the systems we use are not infallible and so it is important that our patients take note of their recall date themselves as well.
It is also worth noting that once a recall has gone out it has a 2 week shelf life. If we dont hear form you with that two week period there is a risk that you will need to join a waiting list (long and slow moving) to be see here under the NHS again.
A lack of recall email from us is not a valid reason for an exemption to joining the waiting list.
This is question we get asked frequently and one which does not have a straight forward answer.
In general we will try and book your appointments in with the clinician you last saw (unless you request otherwise) however this is not always possible and so there is a chance that we may ask you to go and see another of our lovely team.
The reason for this can vary a depending on factors like how busy the dentists are, how long the wait time is to book in with the requested dentist and how urgent your appointment is for example (to be clear, this is not an exhaustive list).
New patients do not get to choose the dentist they see on the NHS.
We know that cold sores can be unexpected, inconvenient and painful.
they are also very contagious and our dental team have to follow strict infection control guidelines to prevent the spread of the cold sore virus to both patients and team members. Unless there is a serious dental emergency the appointment is likely to be rearranged for another time when your cold sore has completely healed
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause but please understand that we only have your health, and the health of our team in mind.
Just a quick blog note to clarify a couple of things around not turning up to appointments and cancelling at short notice.
We understand that there can be occasions when you miss an appointment with us or cancel a booking at short notice however, as is often the way, there are a minority that do this regularly.
If you miss an appointment with is without letting us know we will automatically mark you as inactive on our books and ask you to find an alternative NHS dentist to visit.
If you repeatedly cancel an appointment at short notice (within 3 working days – Bank Holidays and weekends don’t count) then we will ask you to find an alternative NHS dentist to visit.
The reason for this is that there is high demand for NHS dentistry in this area and each missed appointment is time we could have spent reducing our waiting lists and seeing more patients. The same applies to late cancellations, there often isn’t enough time to fill the gaps left by the late cancellation.
If you come to see us privately we may well ask you pay up in advance for all your appointments and apply a charge for the missed appointment if you dont attend or cancel at short notice.
In order to make the most of the limited finding we have to deliver NHS dentistry we periodically review our active patient lists and mark as inactive or lapsed those who we have not see for some time. This allows us to take on new patients off our wating list and make sure we are providing dentistry to those who need it at the time.
We are not obligated to keep a space for anyone, NHS dentistry is not a like the GP, you dont have a registration so it is vitally important that, in order to enjoy the benefit of NHS dentistry, you note your recall time line and remember book back in when the dentist has asked you to.
Periodically we recall our patients via text message or email (not by post). This is not done all the time and should be seen as an add on service that we use when we have space in our diary’s to see more patients. The onus is on the patient to understand when they are next due to book in and make that appointment.
We do have an appeal process if you feel that we have made you inactive unfairly. Applications can only be made in writing (via email ideally or the post if necessary) to the Practice.
Before you apply to be reactivated please consider what your special circumstances are that means you did not come. Please be aware normally the following would not be a reason to be reactivated without joining the wating list:
We are also unlikely to see you again at Bridge if:
Yes you can as long as your previous attendance was good, you dont owe us money and you haven’t been badly behaved. Just fill in the form on our website and wait your turn.
When you come the the Practcie for a check up you will be told at the end of the appointment when you should book in again with us.
If you like you can do it straight away or alternatively you can wait until nearer your due time and then book in. It is up to you.
We do offer a free reminder service that relies on your contact details being kept up to date. This service is very useful to the majority but it does not work for everyone and so should be viewed as a useful extra as opposed to the main trigger to booking your next appointment with us.
We would suggest making a note of your recall time frame when you leave your next dental appointment so that then you don’t miss out in the future. Not receiving a recall reminder from the Practice is not a valid reason to be reinstated if you end up marked as inactive on our systems.
