Dental practice admin: 30 questions on missed appointments, recalls, complaints, reviews, CQC and patient data, answered

Question 1

Can a dentist charge for a missed appointment?

Accepted Answer

For an NHS appointment, no: the ability to charge was removed in the April 2006 contract. For a private appointment, yes, if the patient agreed the charge before booking, the amount reflects a genuine estimate of what the empty slot costs the practice, and it is not charged when the slot is re-filled. A charge above the appointment fee is a penalty and will not stand.

Question 2

What do missed appointments cost a dental practice?

Accepted Answer

A practice with 220 appointments a week, a 4.3% failed-to-attend rate, 40% NHS and a fifth of missed slots re-filled loses about £25,580 a year in chair time. The BDA's example of one NHS practice, with about one in seven NHS patients failing to attend, puts its cost at about £56,000 a year.

Question 3

Do appointment reminders reduce no-shows?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the one measured sequence we found. Software of Excellence's data put the average failed-to-attend rate at 4.3%, falling to 2.5% with an email at 20 days, an email at 7 days and a text at 2 days, and to 1.2% with an automated reply-to-confirm on the text. The data is one vendor's, from 2015. Texts cost 4p to 12p each.

Question 4

How often should a dental patient be recalled?

Accepted Answer

The clinician sets the interval on the patient's risk. NICE's guideline gives the range: 3 to 12 months for patients under 18 and 3 to 24 months for adults, reviewed at each visit. A six-month recall for everyone is a habit, not the guideline.

Question 5

How quickly must a dental practice acknowledge a complaint?

Accepted Answer

Within three working days for NHS treatment, under the 2009 complaints regulations, and most practices apply the same to private complaints. The GDC sets no number of days for the full response: it requires the practice to respond within the time limits in its own procedure and to give the patient that procedure when it acknowledges the complaint.

Question 6

Where can a dental patient take a complaint the practice has not resolved?

Accepted Answer

For private treatment, the Dental Complaints Service, which is funded by the GDC, operates independently of it and is free. For NHS treatment, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, after the practice's or NHS England's own process. A practice's final response should say which applies.

Question 7

How should a dental practice reply to a bad Google review?

Accepted Answer

Without confirming the reviewer is a patient. Naming an appointment, a treatment or a bill discloses health information even if no name is used. The reply thanks the reviewer, answers the point in their own words, says what the practice changed, and moves the detail to the practice manager and the complaints procedure. Never offer a refund or discount in exchange for editing a review.

Question 8

How should a practice follow up a treatment plan the patient has not booked?

Accepted Answer

As information, not a sales chase. Restate the clinician's plan, the quoted price and the date the quote holds to, offer appointments, and offer a call with the clinician for questions. Do not describe the risks of waiting, which is the clinician's conversation, and do not offer a discount for booking quickly. Two follow-ups, then back to the clinician.

Question 9

Is the CQC changing how it inspects dental practices in 2026?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The CQC is replacing the Single Assessment Framework it introduced in 2023: the consultation closed on 12 June 2026, pilots run to October, and the new approach is due to be live by the end of 2026. Dental practices remain unrated. The records an inspector asks the front desk for have not changed.

Question 10

Does a dental practice need a DPIA before using an AI tool?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if the tool processes patient records. Health data is special category data, and the ICO's triggers for a data protection impact assessment include both special category data and innovative technology. The practice also needs an Article 6 lawful basis, an Article 9 condition (normally the provision of health care), a processor contract and a privacy notice that says what the tool does.

Question 11

What does dental practice management software cost?

Accepted Answer

Two of the five suppliers we checked on 1 October 2026 showed a sterling price on their own page. Dentally: £265, £380 and £510 a month plus VAT across three tiers for a three-surgery practice, or £125, £220 and £320 for a single surgery. Cliniko: £59 a month for two to five practitioners, £89 for six to eight. Software of Excellence, CareStack and Pabau publish no UK price.

Question 12

Can AI run the front desk of a dental practice?

Accepted Answer

The administrative part: recall lists and reminders, the short-notice list, unscheduled treatment follow-ups, complaint acknowledgements and review reply drafts. Nothing clinical, no recall intervals and no charging decisions. Overlyft can set up an AI assistant that drafts and schedules; the practice manager reviews and a GDC registrant reads anything that touches treatment.

Question 13

How many urgent appointments does an NHS dental practice have to provide in 2026/27?

Accepted Answer

A contract of 100 UDAs or more must deliver 11 urgent courses of treatment for every £10,000 of relevant contract value, rounded up, which NHS England sets at 8.2% of the contract. A £180,000 contract owes 198 a year, about four a week over 48 weeks. The commissioner confirms the number in writing by 15 March.

Question 14

What is the £15 fixed credit for urgent care in the NHS dental contract?

Accepted Answer

NHS England's guidance applies a £15 fixed credit for each of a contract's required urgent treatments, credited monthly in equal parts, plus a £60 activity credit for each course delivered. The guidance says the fixed credits are not subject to financial recovery if the required number is not delivered. Courses above the required number are credited at £75.

Question 15

What can an NHS dental practice do about a patient who keeps missing appointments?

Accepted Answer

It cannot charge a fee. Under its written fail-to-attend policy it can record the course of treatment as incomplete, and later care is then a new course. The contract regulations let a contractor end a course itself only for violence reported to the police, an unpaid NHS charge, or an irrevocable breakdown notified to the patient and NHS England.

Question 16

How much is the CQC fee for a dental practice in 2026/27?

Accepted Answer

For one location it depends on the number of dental chairs: £598 for one, £747 for two, £846 for three, £946 for four, £1,095 for five or six and £1,294 for more than six. A provider with two locations pays £1,593 whatever the chair count. The British Dental Association reported the fees unchanged for 2026-27.

Question 17

How long does it take to hand back an NHS dental contract in England?

Accepted Answer

Three months from written notice to NHS England, moved to the last calendar day of that month. Notice served on 12 October 2026 ends a GDS contract on 31 January 2027, and notice served on any day in December 2026 ends it on 31 March 2027.

Question 18

Can a clinic or dental practice advertise Botox on Instagram in the UK?

Accepted Answer

No. Botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine, so CAP Code rule 12.12 and regulation 284 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 ban advertising it to the public: no product name, no #botox hashtag, no before-and-after photos and no offers. A clinic may advertise a consultation for lines and wrinkles.

Question 19

How much does HCPC registration cost a physiotherapist in 2026?

Accepted Answer

A physiotherapist pays the HCPC £123.34 a year, collected as £246.68 for each two-year cycle or in eight direct debit instalments. A new UK graduate pays £61.67 a year for the first two professional years. The HCPC consulted in 2026 on a rise to £128.40, phased in from April 2027, and had published no decision by 1 October 2026.

Question 20

Does a private physiotherapy clinic need to register with the CQC?

Accepted Answer

Not for its treatment work, if it is a standalone physiotherapy service. The CQC scope guidance, updated 27 August 2026, says physiotherapists are not among the professionals listed for the regulated activity "Treatment of disease, disorder or injury". A clinic that employs a listed professional, such as a doctor or a nurse, has to check again.

Question 21

When is the GDC annual retention fee due for dentists and how much is it?

Accepted Answer

A dentist pays £698 by 31 December 2026, with an indemnity declaration, plus £72 for each specialist title. To pay in four instalments of £174.50 the direct debit must be set up by midnight on 31 October. The CPD statement for 2026 follows by 28 January 2027.

Question 22

What happens if a dentist misses the GDC renewal deadline?

Accepted Answer

The GDC says the dentist may be removed from the register, and a dentist who is not registered cannot practise in the UK. Coming back means a restoration application with a character reference, an identity check, a CPD declaration and a fee. The GDC aims to assess a complete application within 15 working days.

Question 23

How long does a private dental patient have to take a complaint to the Dental Complaints Service?

Accepted Answer

Twelve months from the treatment, or from becoming aware of the problem, counted for each treatment and not for the whole plan. The service first sends the patient back to the practice and tells them to ask for a response within ten working days. It does not deal with NHS treatment or with compensation.

Question 24

What happens if an NHS dental practice delivers fewer urgent appointments than its contract requires?

Accepted Answer

There are two checkpoints. If under 30% of the required urgent courses has been delivered by 30 September, the commissioner may require a written plan or withhold money. At 31 March, delivery under 96% means the activity payment for the undelivered courses is recovered and a breach notice may be issued. The £15 fixed credits are not recovered.

Question 25

How much does a DBS check cost for dental practice or clinic staff in 2026?

Accepted Answer

An enhanced DBS check costs £49.50 in 2026, with or without a check of the barred lists, and a basic or standard check costs £21.50. The Update Service costs the certificate holder £16 a year. A practice needing fewer than 100 checks a year applies through an umbrella body, which adds its own charge. Fees read on GOV.UK on 1 October 2026.

Question 26

Do dental practice staff need a new DBS check every three years?

Accepted Answer

No rule requires it. The CQC says there is no requirement to repeat checks for staff who stay employed with no change in their place or terms of work; the employer decides and should be able to show why. Re-checking every three years costs £16.50 a person a year at £49.50 a check, against £16 a year for the DBS Update Service.

Question 27

How long is an NHS filling or crown guaranteed?

Accepted Answer

Twelve months. In England an NHS filling, root filling, inlay, porcelain veneer or crown is repaired or replaced at no charge if it fails within 12 months of the date it was provided. The rule does not apply if another provider has treated the tooth, if the patient was advised and it was recorded that the restoration was temporary, or after trauma.

Question 28

If an NHS dental patient needs more treatment within two months, do they pay again?

Accepted Answer

Not if the same practice decides, within 2 months of completing a course of treatment, that further treatment in the same or a lower charging band is needed. The Dental Charges Regulations 2005 say no charge is made even if that treatment is carried out after the 2 months. The rule does not follow an urgent course, and a higher band is charged.

Question 29

Can a dental practice use ChatGPT for reception and admin work?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for work with no patient details in it. On 1 October 2026 a standard seat cost £15 a month on ChatGPT Business and £18 including VAT on Claude Team, billed annually. Both say business content is not used for training by default. OpenAI's terms bar protected health information without a healthcare addendum, so names and treatment details stay out of prompts.

Question 30

How long does a dental practice have to give a patient a copy of their records?

Accepted Answer

One month, counted from the day the request arrives to the same date in the next month. A request received on Monday 5 October 2026 is due by Thursday 5 November 2026. A complex request can be extended by a further two months if the patient is told why within the first month. In most cases no fee can be charged.