Cancellation and Failure to Attend Policy

Definition and Classification

An FTA may be defined as a patient not showing up for a scheduled appointment without prior notice, while an SNC may be defined as a patient cancelling an appointment with less than 48 hours' notice.

To help to reduce possible price increases and decrease waiting times for appointments, we have a cancellation and failure to attend policy.

We respectfully ask for a minimum of 48 hours notice to cancel an appointment. An appointment cancelled with less than 48 hours notice will be considered as a short notice cancellation (SNC).

We reserve the right to refuse further treatment to patients who fail to attend two consecutive appointments or two SNCs.

We understand that cancellations are sometimes unavoidable due to illness or emergencies and will of course take account of all individual circumstances.

In the event of a cancellation, we will endeavour to fill the time allocated to you with another patient.

The patient will not be charged for their first SNC. However, the patient should be politely reminded that they may incur a fee if they make another SNC within a two year period.

The missed appointments will be charged at: £2 per minute.

Appeals for missed or cancelled appointment decisions can be made by writing to:
13 Circus Dental
BA1 2ES
Or by email: info@circusdental.com

Appointment Reminders

At Circus Dental we send appointment reminders days before an appointment. Please inform the practice of any changes to your contact details as soon as possible.

This policy was reviewed and implemented on 04/03/26.

This policy and relevant procedures will be reviewed annually and are due for review on 04/03/27 or prior to this date in accordance with new guidance or legislative changes.

Document Change Record

The table below is used to register all changes to the policy: