We accept new patients, we have a contract with the NHS for Children up to the age of 18 if in full time Education, we see Adults on a private basis or Denplan Insurance.

The practice does not refuse to treat anyone on the grounds of:

• Race
• Religion
• GenderSex
• Age
• Sexual orientation
• Appearance
• Disability
• Medical or Dental Condition

We offer NHS-exempt treatments for the following categories:

• Children under 18 years of age;
• Patients who are under 19 years of age and in full-time education;

If you don't belong to the above categories, then you will be classified as a fee-paying patient.

NHS patients are required to sign a form at the beginning and end of each treatment.

Continuity of Care

You will be advised which dentist you will be seeing when you book your first appointment.

In subsequent appointments, you will be offered the first available dentist unless you request for a particular dentist, we will try our best to accommodate you.

If for any circumstance that we must place a locum dentist in the practice(e.g. illness, holidays) you will be advised of this change.

Riverside Dental Practice is open to treat patients during the following hours:

Monday: 9.00 - 13.00 & 14.00 - 17.30
Tuesday: 9.00 - 13.00 & 14.00 - 17.30
Wednesday: 9.00 - 13.00 & 14.00 - 17.30
Thursday: 9.00 - 13.00 & 14.00 - 17.30
Friday: 8.30 - 13.00 & 14.00 - 17.00

Saturday: 9.30 - 13.00 & 14.00 - 17.30

Patients who feel they have a dental emergency will be assessed at the point of contact (either over the telephone or face-to-face at reception). The practice is under no obligation to see patients with a toothache. Toothache is not classed as an emergency (see below or emergency definitions).

At Riverside Dental Practice we will endeavour to see patients with pain, swelling or trauma within 48 hours of initial contact, where possible. This applies to patients who attend for examinations on a regular basis. If we are working at full capacity at any given time, we will manage the patient and refer them to another service if necessary.

Patients who are currently undergoing treatment and who have pain or swelling will be offered an appointment within 24 hours of initial contact.

During out-of-hours, there is an answer phone message advising patients of help available.

Everyone can access help and advice 24 hours a day through the NHS 111 service. Details will also be displayed at the entrance to the practice. This information will always be correct and up to date.

If you are a Denplan patient and you have a dental emergency out of hours, you can contact the surgery for the on call dentist or contact the Denplan emergency helpline on 0800 844 999.

If you are a private patient and have a dental emergency out of hours, please call the surgery, for details of the on call dentist.

Please note we cannot guarantee it will be your usual provider as emergency cover out of hours is on a rota basis between other registered private practices in the north Cotswolds.

Definition of emergency

Fractured jaws – affects speech, teeth may not meet properly, swelling inside mouth, limited mobility, pain etc. Most commonly happens after an accident, blow to the chin etc.

Uncontrolled Bleeding – Any bleeding that cannot be controlled by firm continuous pressure from a pack for 10 minutes may need suturing. Most commonly happens after extraction, due to infection or alcohol, aspirin, drugs etc.

Loss of consciousness – No matter how brief, anyone who was unresponsive may have suffered internal brain damage that could worsen if left without investigation. Most commonly happens after a blow to the head or accident.

It is inevitable that sometimes you may need to cancel or rearrange your dental appointments.

We would ask patients to give a minimum of 48 hours notice when cancelling an appointment so we have the opportunity to offer it to someone else, although we do understand that during an emergency this is not always possible. Non-attendance and cancellations at short notice without a valid reason deprive other patients of our services.

The first time a patient fails to attend a booked appointment we will send a letter or e-mail reminding them that in future they must cancel appointments and they will be charged a fee appropriate to the amount of time booked for their appointment. 

After 3 failed to attend letters or e-mails we will advise you that we will no longer be able to book further appointments without prior payment to secure the appointment.

An appointment is considered to have been broken if any of the following occur:

• the patient fails to show up for the appointment,
• the patient appears more than 20 minutes late for a scheduled appointment, or
• the patient calls to cancel an appointment with too little advance notice to allow that appointment time to be rescheduled with another patient (24 hours will be considered to be the minimum time necessary to avoid a broken appointment).

Patients who wish to cancel dental appointments must do so a minimum of 48 hours in advance of their scheduled appointment. If less notice is given without a valid excuse, the appointment will be considered to have been broken.

NHS

If two NHS dental appointments are missed or cancelled with less than 48 hour’s notice, we will not offer NHS treatment in the future. This means that you will have to find an alternative NHS dentist for future treatment and check-ups, or continue with us on a private basis. 

Cold sores are common for many people in the UK. Like all viruses, they are contagious and pose a risk to others. The herpes simplex virus is spread through contact.

Cold sores usually emerge as a small ulcer-like patch on or surrounding the lip line, they can come up in a matter of hours and usually take between seven days and four weeks to heal, depending on the severity. From the time they begin to emerge to the point at which they are fully healed, they pose a contagion risk.

At Riverside Dental Practice we ask patients that if they have had a cold sore for less than 2 weeks, please reschedule any non-emergency dental treatment or hygienist appointments until after this contagious period has passed. This is not only because of the high risk of spreading the virus but also because your lips may feel sore and could crack or bleed during treatment.

If urgent dental treatment is required (you are in pain and need immediate attention), our dentists will request that your cold sore be protected with a cold sore plaster to minimise the risk of crossinfection during emergency dental treatment.

If you do get a cold sore and you have a dental or hygienist appointment arranged, please call the practice with as much notice as possible, to reschedule any non-emergency treatment. You will not be charged a late cancellation fee if you cancel due to a cold sore.

We actively involve all our patients in every aspect of their dental care and as a practice, we aim to carry out the following;

• To ensure discussions take place in an environment where conversations are not overheard, and every effort is made to ensure the patient feels comfortable and relaxed.
• To identify whether communication aids are required, including the use of interpreters, to ensure that the patient fully understands explanations and discussions and can make informed choices.
• To identify patient treatment needs and treatment options, identifying also what they can do
  to manage their care.
• To discuss all care and treatment options, providing enough information on any risks involved and potential consequences of each option and, where possible, identifying relevant
  evidence, research, or experience.
• To record discussions in the patient’s notes identifying the treatment needs, options
  discussed and patient’s choice.
• To record the reason for and outcome of diagnostic tests and assessments are explained to the patient. These include, for example, radiographs, vitality tests, periodontal indices, and pathology tests.
• To ensure all staff at the practice understand the principles of patient confidentiality and
  routinely follow the practice procedure for ensuring the confidentiality of patient information.

At Riverside Dental Practice we listen to patients’ views and learn from them. We communicate with patients in a courteous, friendly, professional manner.

Patients are provided with the standard of care that we would expect to receive ourselves and we make sure that patients receive full information about our services, their treatment and its cost.

We may refer patients for further professional advice and treatment where appropriate and we are committed to ensuring that we keep our professional skills and knowledge up to date.

In our practice, we will:

• Respect our patients’ confidentiality Aim to ensure that patients should have to wait no longer than 20 minutes to be seen.
• Manage our appointment system so that treatment appointments are booked no more than 2 weeks ahead
• Deal with every telephone call promptly – callers will not be asked to ‘hold’ without first finding out why the call has been made
• Deal with correspondence within 3 days of receipt
• Provide patients with a treatment plan and estimate of costs for each new course of treatment. Full and specific consent will be gained.
• Make patients aware of our policy for collecting fees. Requests for payment will always be made courteously.
• Make the practice policy for dealing with complaints known to patients. All complaints will be treated sympathetically and according to the agreed procedures.
• Provide the highest standards of infection control
• Provide any emergency treatment required during practice hours as soon as is reasonably practicable.

It is the responsibility of this practice to give patients full information about the cost of their dental care before any treatment is undertaken.

A list of common treatment charges is available at reception for treatments that are provided privately.

We will ensure that all patients:

• Are advised of what they must pay, when they should pay and how they can pay (e.g. cheque, cash, card, direct transfer)
• Know what they will receive for their payment (i.e. what treatment or care)
• Understand their treatment is provided privately
• Are given a written estimate and treatment plan on request or where treatment involves more than routine preventive examination and hygiene care
• Understand their own responsibilities in terms of payment terms and how to avoid any penalty for overdue fees (missed appointment charges, late payment etc)
• Are not pressured into signing agreements or paying fees
• Obtain a receipt for any payments they make and can review their account details
• Can talk to a staff member who can explain clearly what payments are due and what they are for
• Can discuss with staff what treatment options and costs are available
• Are given an estimate where a precise cost cannot be determined in advance (e.g. laboratory work) and will receive timely advice of any additional costs where appropriate
• We try to make payment as straightforward as possible.

Payment Method

All major debit and credit cards are accepted.

Change of Details

You must inform the practice immediately of any changes to your contact details. Failure to do so will mean that we are not able to provide you with essential information and updates.

Cancellation of Courses of Treatment

If, for any reason, a course of treatment is cancelled, then we will make every reasonable effort to give the patient as much notice as possible. Riverside Dental Practice’s maximum liability will be limited to a refund of the advance payment fee ONLY. Refunds will be made by the method in which the treatment booking was paid. We will not accept liability for any additional costs or losses incurred by a patient or organisations, which are claimed to have arisen through treatment cancellation. We reserve the right to vary arrangements for the delivery of a treatment plan and in such cases will make reasonable efforts to inform patients in advance.

Cancellation by the Patient

You may cancel a course of treatment for which you have booked an appointment and be fully refunded all fees for treatment not yet performed; provided you give the practice a minimum of 24 hours prior notice.

If 24 hours prior notice is not received, we reserve the right to withhold a proportionate amount of money, based upon the length of the appointment, to cover overheads.

This does not apply to NHS appointments, but we reserve the right to discontinue future care under the NHS.

We will refund the money to patients who wish to discontinue treatment at any time. A notice period of 14 days is required upon which they will be eligible for a refund of any amount paid for treatment that they did not receive.

If a patient is receiving any treatment that involves laboratory work and initial work has been carried out; i.e. if the patient is having crowns/bridges or a denture made, and the work has already been started or completed by the laboratory, a proportion of the fee taken on the preparation appointment will be kept to cover the cost of the laboratory invoice.

Refunds will be processed within 14 days after receipt of your request in writing either by e-mail or post.

If you have paid for services not yet provided, that do not involve a laboratory fee, we will either credit your account or refund the transaction paid by the method by which the original payment was made. If the method was cash and you are unable to collect the refund in person, it will be posted to you in the form of a cheque.

This practice maintains a strict payment policy where all payments for dental treatment should be paid in full prior to the completion of treatment.

It is the discretion of the treating dentist as to whether the full payment is required before the start of treatment. Payments can be made by cash or by debit card. Credit card payments will also be accepted.

Card payments can be taken over the phone. If for whatever reason the fees are not paid, the practice will inform the patient via a text message/letter or email that there is money outstanding on their account and to refer to our payment policy.

A second text message, letter or email will then be sent requesting immediate payment if payment is not paid within a seven-day period. If there has been no contact or payment within the next seven-day period then a third text message will be sent warning of losing the right to be seen at the practice with immediate effect.

If payment is not made within a further 24 hours, we will use a debt recovery company to recover the debt outstanding.

Staff treating patients have the right to work free from any threat or fear of abuse, violence or forms of aggression.

The NHS nationally has agreed to a zero-tolerance policy.

Unacceptable behaviour which will not be tolerated within the dental practice includes:

• Actual or threatened physical violence on staff or other patients.
• Psychological abuse of staff
• Verbal abuse which includes shouting or swearing Racial abuse
• Sexual harassment or abuse
• Threats against practice personnel which occur in the workplace
• Theft or damage of practice property
• Taking drugs or alcohol on the premises

If any patient is abusive or violent towards any member of staff or any other persons on the practice premises, the practice retains the right to have the patient removed from their list. In extreme cases, the police may also be contacted.

All incidents must be reported to Sally Adams and recorded within the Significant Events Log. Any injuries will be recorded in the accident book.

We try to ensure that all our patients are pleased with their experience of our services. We welcome feedback from patients and take any complaints seriously. We aim to deal with any complaints courteously and efficiently so that they can be resolved as quickly as possible.

Our complaints procedure outlines how we deal with any complaints.

The person responsible for dealing with any complaints in the practice is Amy Sneyd Complaints Manager.

How to Complain

We hope that most issues can be resolved easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your issues cannot be sorted out this way and you wish to make a complaint, you can do so verbally by speaking to one of our team members, who will direct you to our complaints lead, or you can write to us by letter or email.

Complaints Made Verbally

If you wish to make a complaint over the phone or in person, we will listen to your complaint and offer to refer you to our complaints lead. If they are unavailable, the staff member will take your details and a brief explanation of the complaint to pass on. Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days.

Complaints Made via Email or Letter

Any letters or emails regarding a complaint will be immediately passed to our complaints lead. Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days.

Investigations

We will contact you to discuss your complaint unless it can be resolved easily. Any complaints involving clinical care will be referred to the treating dentist unless you request this not to happen.

We will then investigate your complaint and will aim to have a response for you within 10 working days. If it is not possible to resolve this within that timeframe, we will inform you and let you know when it is likely to be resolved.

Once we have made a decision regarding your complaint we will inform you by your preferred contact method.

It is possible that if a complaint regards clinical care or is complex, we may need to seek advice from our insurers, indemnifiers or legal advisors and, therefore, may need to share some of your information for this purpose.

Complaining on behalf of someone else

Please note that we strictly adhere to the rules of clinical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed unless they are incapable (because of physical and mental illness) of providing this.

Time Limits for Opening Complaints

Complaints should be made within 12 months of the incident or when the complainant first discovered the problem.

Complaints to External Bodies

We hope that if you have a concern, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice. This does not affect your right to approach the ICB if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us. However, this does not affect your right to complain to an external body, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation.

The CQC: The CQC don't get involved with complaints made to the practice. They do, however, encourage giving feedback on service providers.

To send feedback to the CQC please go to: https://www.cqc.org.uk/give-feedback-on-care

Telephone: 03000 616161 (Mon to Fri, 8.30am - 5.30pm Excluding Bank Holidays)

The NHS: If you would rather not go directly to your practice and your treatment is provided by the NHS, you can contact your local ICB, which is responsible for NHS dental services.

If you feel unable to raise your concerns with the practice, you can contact the ICB. However, the ICB cannot re-investigate complaints already made to the practice, so if you feel unhappy with how the practice or the ICB has handled a complaint, you should contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Telephone: 0345 015 4033

Website: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk

Private Patients: The Dental Complaints Service handles complaints made by private patients

Telephone: 0208 253 0800 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)

Website: https://dcs.gdc-uk.org/

The GDC

Telephone: 0854 222 4141 or 0207 887 3800

Website: https://contactus.gdc-uk.org/Complaint/Process/13