Please read all the Terms & Conditions carefully then click continue below

Terms and Conditions

 General

• Attending your dental appointment implies that you accept the terms and conditions set out below and we reserve the right to remove you from our dental list if you fail to accept these conditions.

Customer Service

• We pride ourselves on providing you with professional customer service both in person, on the telephone and via any form of written communication.
• We regularly review our procedures to ensure we are offering you the best service. Please help us to help you.

Registration

• Registering your details with the practice must be done via our website portal.
• We require acceptance of our terms and conditions before you can proceed.
• You must complete a medical history questionnaire before your appointment.
• Failure to complete a medical history will mean that you will not be seen.
• Registration with the practice will only commence following your initial check-up appointment to assess your dental health.
• We cannot provide any emergency treatment until you are registered.
• All patients are registered as NHS patients.
• New patients who fail to attend their first registration appointment will not be offered any further appointments.
• The NHS requires you to complete and sign an NHS form, called a ‘GP17’. This is carried out using an electronic device.  Failure to sign the form means you will not be seen or registered.

Behaviour

• No eating or drinking in the waiting area before your appointment. If you do, this means we won’t be able to see your teeth and carry out your appointment.
• Please do not run in the practice as this poses a risk to yourself and others.
• No wrestling or other sports. Save this for the sports centre.
• Please refrain from taking handsfree calls, watching videos or playing music on loud speaker. The practice is a place of work and our team need to concentrate as they try to help people.  Feel free to use those AirPods or headphones.
• Do not take videos in the surgery as this breaches the privacy of our team as they look after you or your family members.
• Please turn up on time.
• Please treat our team in a manner in which you would expect to be treated. Shouting, abusive and threatening behaviour will only lead to your deregistration.  Please work with us, not against us.
• Do not let children interfere with equipment in the dental surgery. It contains surgical instruments that can cause serious harm.
• We reserve the right to terminate phone calls, not respond to emails or ask patients to leave where antisocial behaviour is displayed which includes, but is not limited to, perceived or actual violence, violent intent, actual or threatening intent, argumentative, obstructive or challenging behaviour towards any member of staff or other patients and through any method of communication.

Appointments

• Demand for our service is high. Please be mindful that there could be a wait to secure you an appropriate appointment time, potentially up to 3-4 weeks.
• We offer a total of 118 hours of appointments a week. We cannot offer further capacity or magic up appointments to suit individual needs. This limits appointment availability on a short-term basis. Please take this into consideration when speaking with our team.
• For continuity of care you will be registered with one dentist at the practice. Unlike your GP it is not possible to switch around who provides your care in order to be seen sooner.
• Failure to attend your appointment prevents other patients from being seen as we are not able to offer this time to other people. If this happens we will write to you advising that you have missed your appointment.
• Cancelling an appointment with less than 24 hours notice also prevents other patients from being seen as we are not able to offer this time to other people. If this happens we will write to you advising that you have cancelled your appointment.
• Failure to attend your initial/new registration appointment also prevents other patients from being seen as we are not able to offer this time to other people. Further appointments will not be offered if you fail to attend your initial registration appointment and you will not be able to register with the practice.
• We are unable to cancel or move the appointments of other patients to accommodate your appointment time.
• If you wish to transfer to a different dentist then you can make a request using an in-house form. Your request is up to the discretion of the dental team.
• We reserve the right to make a new appointment for you if you are late for your appointment.

Paying for your treatment

• You will be provided with a treatment plan outlining the treatment planned for you and the costs.
• Payment for your course of treatment is required in advance and demonstrates commitment to your oral health. You also agree to pay in advance by signing the blue NHS form (the ‘GP17’).
• Failure to pay your bill in a timely manner will result in your deregistration.
• Any benefit you receive is your responsibility. We do not police benefits, we only need to provide information for the NHS system. Please don’t take offence if we ask about your benefits.
• Payments can be made in person using cash or all major credit or debit cards.
• Payments can also be made using PayPal or by direct bank transfer. Please ask for details.
• If you have an HC2 form, please bring it with you.

Services & Referrals

• We no longer provide a dedicated hygienist. The dentist can provide a private scale and polish for a private fee.
• NHS regulations provide a dental check and clean once a year.
• You may be referred for specialist treatment e.g. orthodontist, or oral surgeon. We are not responsible for the timeliness of any response from these practices.
• Referrals will be made by us in a timely manner.

Your Data

• If you change your address or telephone number please let us know. Estate agents or mobile providers do not advise us of changes to your circumstances.
• If you are registered with a GP at Woodside Health Centre, this does not result in access to your data as we are a separate service.
• We process all data in line with the Data Protection Act and our confidentiality policy.
• You may request a copy of your notes or x-rays by writing to us at enquiries@woodsidedentalpractice.com.

Travel to the practice

• We have no influence over your travel to the practice. Please allow yourself plenty of time to attend your appointment.
• We have no influence over the car parking arrangements at the Health Centre. Please allow yourself enough time to find appropriate parking to attend your appointment in time.
• We have no influence over traffic or public transport. Please allow yourself enough time for your travel arrangements.

Feedback

• Should you wish to provide feedback in the form of a complaint then please ask for a copy of our complaint policy.
• Complaints can be made by email to enquiries@woodsidedentalpractice.com

Emergency Treatment

• Emergency treatment will be provided for registered patients only.
• We triage dental emergencies in accordance with the Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) guidelines and take written notes.
• An emergency IS NOT: a broken tooth, a broken filling, a crown out, bleeding gums, ulcers, a way to jump the queue. You will be offered a routine appointment for these.
• You may be asked to provide a visual image to help us triage your symptoms and help you better before any appointment is offered.
• Emergency treatment appointments are slotted in between routine booked appointments and so there will be a wait to be seen.
• If you present with symptoms different to those which were described during the triage then you will be asked to leave and make a routine appointment.

Deregistration

Deregistration may result where:

• Our level of service is unable to meet your expectations for care or we are not able to act in your best interests.
• Payment for treatment has not been made.
• Where behaviour challenges the competency and integrity of treatment and care and where care may become unsafe as a result.
• Appointments are not attended.
• Antisocial behaviour is displayed which includes, but is not limited to, perceived or actual violence, violent intent, actual or threatening intent, argumentative, obstructive or challenging behaviour towards any member of staff or other patients through any method of communication that includes telephone, email, text message and face to face.

Interpreters

• Patients can request a telephone interpreter at their appointment via Language Line if their first language is not English
• We cannot be held responsible for the integrity of this service which is provided by a third party.
• British Sign Language Interpreters can also be provided.

Communication

• We may communicate with you via telephone, letter, email or SMS.
• We cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information held by us and provided by you or the integrity of third-party providers that support telephone, email or SMS functionality.

Zero Tolerance Policy

• Woodside dental is committed to providing a safe working environment for its team. We do this by minimising the risk of hostile, aggressive and potentially violent behaviour at work.  The working environment is defined as the practice premises and other premises where work is undertaken as part of a person’s official duties including travelling to and from the other premises.
• The Practice takes a serious approach if a member of staff is treated in an aggressive, abusive, obstructive, argumentative or violent way.
• Woodside supports the government’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ campaign for Health Service Staff, where staff have a right to care for others without fear of being abused or attacked. We consider this to be a fundamental personal freedom.
• To successfully provide you with care, mutual respect between all the staff and patients must exist. This is central to providing care for you.
• All our team aim to be polite, helpful and sensitive to patients’ individual needs and circumstances where they are able and within the scope of our service.
• Please remember that very often our team can be confronted with a multitude of varying and sometimes difficult tasks and situations, all at the same time and are private individuals as well.
• Our staff also understand that patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take into this consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint.
• Aggressive, abusive, obstructive, argumentative or violent behaviour will not be tolerated and will result in your removal from the practice list. In exceptional circumstances we will involve the Police.
• In order for the practice to maintain good relations with their patients, the practice would like to ask all its patients to read and take note of the types of behaviour that would be considered unacceptable.