Appointment Cancellation, Late Cancellation & Failed to Attend Policy

At Avondale Dental Practice, we are committed to providing high-quality dental care and allocating the appropriate amount of clinical time for every patient. To help us run efficiently and ensure fair access to appointments for all patients, we kindly ask that the following policy is observed.

Why This Policy Matters

In 2025, missed and short-notice cancelled appointments resulted in the loss of approximately 20 hours of clinical time each month. These appointments could otherwise have been offered to patients needing care sooner, helping them receive necessary treatment in a timely manner rather than waiting weeks for the next available appointment.

Cancellation or Rescheduling Notice Periods

• Routine appointments: at least 48 hours’ notice
• Specialist appointments requiring long appointment slots: at least 7 days’ notice

Late Cancellations

A Late Cancellation is an appointment cancelled with less than the required notice period. Routine appointments cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice may incur a short-notice cancellation fee of 50p per minute of the scheduled appointment length. Specialist appointments cancelled with less than 7 days’ notice may incur a higher fee or loss of deposit.

Failed to Attend (FTA)

A Failed to Attend (FTA) appointment is when a patient does not attend without prior notice. FTA appointments will incur a fee of £1 per minute of the scheduled appointment length.

Deposits

Certain specialist or long appointments may require a deposit at the time of booking. Deposits are non-refundable for Late Cancellations or FTAs but may be transferred if sufficient notice is given.

Reminders

All patients receive automated appointment reminders warning of the penalties detailed above. Email reminders are sent 7 days prior to the appointment, and SMS reminders are sent 3 days prior to the appointment. It is the patient’s responsibility to ensure that the practice has up-to-date mobile telephone numbers and email addresses on record.

Exceptional Circumstances

Genuine emergencies will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the practice as soon as possible if this applies.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.