Patient Information Leaflet

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Here is a guide to our dental services for new and existing patients.

Welcome to Stone Cottage Dental Surgery. This leaflet contains information about the services we provide, how to make an appointment and who to contact for further information or assistance.

The Dental Team:

At Stone Cottage Dental Surgery our dentists, dental nurses, dental hygienist and reception staff will always aim to provide a high standard of care and services for patients. The members of our team are:

Dentists  

Dr Dalia Al-Haj GDC 230620 BDS (London) MFDS RCS (Ed) PgDip

Dr Christopher Poore 57334 BDS (London)   

Dr Imran Sumar GDC 230514 BDS (London) MFDS RCS (Ed) PgDip

Dr Ali Rifai BDS (London) GDC 154456 MclinDent – Implantologist

Mr Tarique Hamid GDC 181879 GMC & GDC Specialist Register BDS (Hons) MB BCh BAO MFDS MRCS – Consultant Oral Surgeon

Dr Deepa Patel GDC 304031 - Dentist with special interest in Peridontics BDS, Masters of Dental Surgery (Periodontology)

Dr Hesham El-Wakeel Dentist GDC 154433 -Dentist with a special interest in Endodontcs BDS (London) MFDS Dip (Eastman UCL)

Hygienists

Kym James GDC 2130

Sharon Kidd GDC 4566 CEB Dip Dent Hygiene

Sukanya Srikumar Dental Hygienist and Therapist GDC 320688

Safiyya Darwish Dental Therapist GDC 300869

Working alongside we have a team of GDC registered nurses, trainee nurses who are working towards registration and two receptionists.

Stone Cottage Dental Surgery is operated by Stone Cottage Dental Surgery Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales with the company number 16665006.  

Details of NHS charges and our private price list are available on the practice information board and on request.

The Practice

We are located in the lovely village of Forest Row. Free cark parks are available thorough the village and 1 hour free parking bays are located outside the practice. We aim to provide a welcoming and friendly atmosphere for our patients. We are committed to ensure our patients achieve and maintain excellent dental health while receiving the most modern up to date care.

We provide NHS and private dentistry. We provide general and cosmetic dentistry as well as hygienist services. We also provide referrals to specialists and for treatment under sedation if required.

Appointments

Making an Appointment

If you ask us for an appointment, we will try to offer you one as soon as possible at a convenient time. You can make an appointment by telephoning 01342 825534. Please see below for our opening hours.

You can express a preference of a dentist you would like to see at the practice, this can be done by speaking to receptionist who will then make a note on your records to that effect, however please note that this will be dependent on availability.

Reminders and Recalls

At the end of your course of treatment your dentist will discuss with you when you will need to see a dentist again. Dentists follow guidelines issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). This means you should attend as often as is needed to keep your teeth and gums healthy and that you may no longer need a check-up every six months. We also contact our patients by using the SMS and email, please speak to reception if you would like this option.

Cancellations/Failed appointments

Missed appointments result in wasted time that could be used by other patients. We ask that if you are unable to attend your appointment, you let the practice know and give as much notice as possible and, at least 24 hours. If you cancel or fail an appointment, on more than one occasion, with less than 24 hours’ notice, we may no longer be able to offer you NHS treatment. We will of course take any special circumstances into account. We may still be able to offer private dental care, but will require a non-refundable deposit. All private missed appointments will incur a failed appointment fee and require a deposit when rebooking

Opening Hours

The practice’s opening hours are shown below and exclude bank holidays.

Monday  8:45 - 17:15

Tuesday   8:45 - 17:15

Wednesday  8:45 - 17.15

Thursday   8:45 - 17:15

Friday   8:45 – 17:15

Urgent Treatment and out of hour care

Urgent treatment means treatment that the dentist considers necessary to relieve severe pain or prevent your oral condition deteriorating before you can make a normal appointment. Should you have an urgent problem we need to know as soon as possible.

If you need urgent treatment outside of our opening hours you can access advice and/or treatment by telephone on 111. This service is not provided by the practice but commissioned by NHS England.

Accessibility

Our practice is accessible for disabled patients we have one surgeries downstairs as well as two upstairs. If you have a disability that you think we need to know about please give us a call before your appointment and we will do our best to put suitable arrangements in place to accommodate your needs. There is a ramp available to access the practice and a doorbell outside to ring to alert us that assistance is required. 

Services available

We provide NHS services to adults and children. 

The NHS provides all the treatment necessary to maintain your oral health. Where treatments are not available under the NHS you may choose to have these done privately, for example large white fillings in back teeth or cosmetic treatment such as tooth whitening.

You may also choose to have treatment provided privately as an alternative to NHS treatment. We are happy to discuss these options with you.

The poster in our waiting room has information about the cost of NHS and private treatments. Your dentist will provide you with a treatment plan detailing the cost of any NHS treatment.

Your rights and responsibilities

You are entitled to

·  A thorough examination of your mouth, teeth and gums.

·  A full explanation of your treatment options; a written treatment plan (including costs); information about NHS charges clearly displayed in the practice;

·  Advice on how to keep your teeth and gums healthy; information about this practice and the services available;

·  A care and treatment summary if you decide to transfer to another dentist;

·  Make a complaint if you are not happy with your treatment and care.

You are responsible for

·  Giving at least 24 hours notice if you have to cancel an appointment. We will not charge you for missed NHS appointments but if you miss appointments we may no longer be able to offer you further NHS treatment. Private patients will be charged.

·  Following your dentists advice to prevent tooth decay and gum disease;

·  Paying your bill promptly; correctly inputting your entitlement when claiming help with the cost of NHS treatment. If you are not eligible for an exemption but have put down an entitlement, you may have to pay for treatment and or face a fine directly from the NHS. 

·  Treating our staff with courtesy and respect.

·  Arriving on time to appointments

We may refuse to treat patients who are violent, fail to pay for their bills or refuse to co-operate during treatment. In this case, we will inform appropriate authorities and NHS England. 

Patient confidentiality

We take patient confidentiality extremely seriously and have systems in place to protect all personal information. All patient records are stored securely. We do not release information to a third party without your express permission, unless the information is required by law/NHS processing. A copy of the practice confidentiality and GDPR policy is available at reception. You can also request information about your rights to view your records. 

Comments about our Services

If you would like to comment about any aspect of our services please contact Stone Cottage Dental Surgery or complete a patient satisfaction survey, 

Alternatively you may leave a comment on the NHS friend and family test at the practice or via the NHS Choices website http://www.nhs.uk/pages/home.aspx where NHS treatment involved.

NHS England Customer Support Centre, By telephone: 0300 311 22 33 Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, excluding English Bank Holidays). Email: england.contactus@nhs.net

The Independent Complaints Advocacy Service 

Further advice is available from the General Dental Council www.gdc-uk.org or 0845 612 0540 or your local citizens advice bureau 

If you have any concerns or comments about your experience of our practice, please contact Dr Imran Sumar on who will explain our complaints procedure. A copy of the procedure is also available in the practice information folder or from reception.

The practice is registered with the Care Quality Commission for the provision of dental services www.cqc.org.uk/

Useful Contacts  

NHS England 0300 311 22 33

NHS Sussex Dental Helpline on 0300 123 1663

NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) 0300 330 1348

Care Quality Commission: www.cqc.org.uk