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Missed appointments and incomplete courses of treatment

BDJ In Practice volume 32, pages 26–27 (2019)Cite this article

There is nothing more frustrating that patients repeatedly missing appointments and wasting valuable practice time. Patients failing to attend appointments and late cancellations cost practices both time and money. In addition to this, missed NHS dental appointments could be denying many people the chance to access care.

So what can you do to help prevent FTAs? We are often asked if it is possible to charge a fee for missed appointments. However, this is not an option for NHS practices in England and Wales as it breaches the rules in the Dental Charges Regulations. Therefore, the best method is to try to prevent it happening in the first place. Practices need to have a clear policy in place to reduce lost time.

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  1. Interim Head of NHS, Business and General Practice, British Dental Association, 64 Wimpole Street, W1G 8YS, W1G 8YS, London, UK

    Sarah Cook

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  1. Sarah Cook
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Correspondence to Sarah Cook.

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Cook, S. Missed appointments and incomplete courses of treatment. BDJ In Pract 32, 26–27 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41404-019-0130-4

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