Challenging missed dental appointment charges and refusal of treatment

A question about : Challenging missed dental appointment charges and refusal of treatment

hi all

I'm not sure if this is the right board for this so apologies if it's on the wrong one.

Anyway to my question are there are any grounds under which I can challenge missed appointment charges from my NHS dentist ? at present I live in Scotland I'm unemployed and on job seekers so I get free treatment however I rely on public transport to get around and I live some distance from my dentist (an hour away by bus) so on occasion I will miss appointments the most common cause being that I miss the bus and as there is only 1 every hour this means I can't make my appointment

when this happens I'll do the polite thing and phone them up to let them know what's happening and get the appointment rescheduled anyway the dentist in question has a policy of charging a penalty of Ј30 for late canalisation of appointments this is in my opinion is a little steep especially given the fact that I am unemployed now I understand the importance of keeping appointments and I understand why they feel charging penalties like this is necessary however I feel that this is a little unreasonable

I mean its not like I'm deliberately missing appointments just to waste there time I do try my best to be where I'm supposed to be when I'm supposed to be there however due to relying on public transport to get around this is not always possible

anyway I have no intention of paying this charge if I can avoid it because for a start I simply don't have it as job seekers is barley enough to keep me clothed and fed especially since the VAT rise in January

now the chances are when I tell them I can't pay the charge there going to start being difficult and refusing to see me until I do should this happen is there anything I can do about it other than moving to another dentist

Best answers:

• In Scotland I believe a dentist can still charge for missed or late cancelled NHS appointments. We can't in England, our only option is to refuse treatment.
  It is entirely at their discretion.
• How many appointments have you missed?
  The way you've written it, it sounds like it's happened a few times?
  But this is the first time they've charged you?
  Sounds like they've just got fed up with you. Every time you miss an appointment, the chair is empty. That time slot is wasted, plus you need another time slot to get the job done eventually.
  If you're a serial offender, it will be costing the practice a lot of wasted time to have you on the books.
  Could you not make sure your at the bus stop 20 mins early?
• No there is something they can do about it, charge you some of the money that they would have got from the NHS had you turned up which is exactly what they've chosen to do.
  They can chase you through courts for this money plus admin costs relating to chasing you for payment and refuse to treat you until you cough up. If you try to move dentist the old dentist can let the new one know of the outstanding charges which might prevent you being added to your new dentists list.
  If you rely on a once hourly bus and you miss it regularly then you should be leaving the house earlier to make sure you catch it!
• I would say that missing 12 appoinments in 5 or 6 years is just rude! How many were you supposed to have?
• I use public transport to get pretty much everywhere and I live in a village with appalling service. People who leave early don't tend to miss the bus, I don't see how you can think I'm being simplistic in advising you to leave your house earlier to catch a bus.
• If you were my patient, you'd have received a letter suggesting that your needs might be better met by a different dentist 4 or 5 years ago.
• Do you not think if everyone had an attitude like you then there would be no need for an appointment system and the whole thing would be a farce! If everyone thought they should be able to turn up when they want then nothing would get done!
• Is this a wind up?
  If you're constantly late for the appointments, don't leave 15 minutes before the bus is due, leave an hour an 15 minutes before, so you can get on the earlier bus! You'd be there in plenty of time then.
  You're messing people about and taking the Michael. The dentist, the admin people, the people who may have an emergency but are turned away or who have to wait longer etc...
  Jesus, I've missed about 4 appointments in my whole life and only one of those times I didn't ring up because I genuinely forgot.
  If there is one thing I can't bear and find so rude, it's when people are late or don't turn up at all.
  I bet if you were paying for treatment and had to pay upfront you'd be there on time!
• how can missing appointments be a fact of life?
  If you are unemployed why don't you have the time to leave an hour early for your appointment?
  missing 12 appointments in 6 years is just shocking. My dentist will refuse treatment after missing one appointment without giving 24 hours notice!
  Why not make your appointment for a more convienent time?
• You are using every excuse under the sun, when in reality, all you need to do is drag your lazy carcass out of bed earlier.