Dentist not passing on info about hosp appointment.

jasper27

Hi

Please help as I'm really angry at my dentist, or more precisely, the receptionist..

I had a bad abcess in Dec 2012 and went for an emergency appointment, to be told to come back the next day..fair enough..

On seeing the dentist I was given a course of antibiotics and was told I needed an extraction but they would refer me to an oral specialist.

The first appointment arrived but as the abcess had calmed down and I was pain free, I didn't attend as I really didn't want the tooth out as it means I can't wear my partial denture and I would have a really big gap of 4 missing teeth.

Another appointment was sent which I could not attend for personal reasons, but I rang the oral surgery and explained this.

I went back to my Dentist in January 2013 and they explained the oral surgeon will not see me as I have 'missed' 2 appointments (had I known this was the procedure I would've bent over backwards to get to the 2nd appointment) but they hadn't let me know this!! As far as I knew I was still awaiting an appointment. The receptionist is not the most approachable person and I felt patronised.

I rang the oral surgery and spoke to their lovely receptionist who told me they had informed the dentist and that it was up to them to let me know. So I rang my dental surgery back, and speaking to the receptionist, said if they knew I wasn't going to see the oral surgery why didn't they let me know.. or book me in somewhere else... ??

After quite a stressful conversation, where she constantly talked over me and when I asked her politey to please let me have my say answered sarcastically ' go on then ' she said she had booked me into the hospital.

I know hospital appointments can take a long time to come through, so I've waited for them to contact me... however I had to take my grandaughter to the dentist yesterday and so I enquired about my appointment (there was a different receptionist on at the time, a helpful polite young girl), she said they had sent a letter to the hosp in January and that it seemed a long time to wait, and suggested I ring them to find out why..at that point the 'other' receptionist appeared and I just sat down in the waiting area, as I didn't want a confrontation with her.

I rang the hosp today and they said they received my referral on the 14th Jan 2013 and sent a reply back on the 21st Jan 2013, with a response to why they couldn't treat me (it could be, not enough info, or my dental surgery could carry out the treatment themselves)

So basically my dentist has known, yet again, that I'm not down for any treatment from January 2013!

I would leave it ....but I have started getting bad toothache and a horrible pain down the left side of my face and jaw..so I know I need to get this tooth out, but I'm so apprehensive about it.


Also.. at the time I held an HC2 Help with health costs form, but it ran out in April 2013..... so if I have treatment will I have to pay or because I was still exempt when I should've had the treatment, will I not have to pay?

I feel really angry about this and have lost my faith in dentists and their receptionists.

heartbreak_star

If you have treatment you'll have to pay unless you can submit another HC2. Not sure what can be done about everything else.

HBS x

nonnatus

Blimey!

I'm assuming this is all NHS stuff? They offered you two appointments, both of which you turned down, and you expect them to continue to chase you for a third appointment?

You don't make it clear whether you informed them in advance of your first "no-show" although your post suggests that you just decided not to bother because the pain had gone...

I get in trouble at my dentist if I have to move the TIME of an appointment for some reason, I expect they'd be really cross if I needed treatment but decided against it for whatever reason.

Surely you must take SOME responsibility for re-booking the appointment, you can't think you're the only patient?

In answer to your financial query: I BELIEVE that if you are under some sort of "benefit warranty" when treatment begins, you are covered until the treatment is finished. BUT, it's possible that the Hospital will have closed your case now (I believe that's the policy after 2 declines) and you will have to begin a NEW treatment plan, for which, as you rightly say, you won't be covered and will have to pay.

Sorry I can't be more positive. There are some really clever Dentists on this Forum though, who will clarify it all for you.

jasper27

heartbreak_star wrote: »

If you have treatment you'll have to pay unless you can submit another HC2. Not sure what can be done about everything else.

HBS x

Thanks HBS.. I can't submit another form as I'm working now, I'm on minimum wage and get WTC but don't qualify for HC2.

x

jasper27

nonnatus wrote: »

Blimey!

I'm assuming this is all NHS stuff? They offered you two appointments, both of which you turned down, and you expect them to continue to chase you for a third appointment?

You don't make it clear whether you informed them in advance of your first "no-show" although your post suggests that you just decided not to bother because the pain had gone...

I get in trouble at my dentist if I have to move the TIME of an appointment for some reason, I expect they'd be really cross if I needed treatment but decided against it for whatever reason.

Surely you must take SOME responsibility for re-booking the appointment, you can't think you're the only patient?

In answer to your financial query: I BELIEVE that if you are under some sort of "benefit warranty" when treatment begins, you are covered until the treatment is finished. BUT, it's possible that the Hospital will have closed your case now (I believe that's the policy after 2 declines) and you will have to begin a NEW treatment plan, for which, as you rightly say, you won't be covered and will have to pay.

Sorry I can't be more positive. There are some really clever Dentists on this Forum though, who will clarify it all for you.

nonnatus ...yes I DO expect them to arrange another appointment for me as THEY are the dentist and I cannot arrange my own appointment and what makes you suggest I think I'm the only patient?

I realise and accept that it's my fault I missed the oral surgery at a private dental surgery (and yes I am an NHS patient!) but the hospital appointment was not accepted for any number of reasons (none of which are MY fault) but reasons such as 'not enough information from the dentist... OR the dentist could carry out the treatment in the surgery)

My point is they knew in I did not have an appointment in place months ago, so WHY didn't they or someone inform me?

**professor~yaffle**

I don't know about dental hospitals, but I have noticed that if you miss or reschedule a hospital appointment twice, they send you back to your GP and you have to get re-referred. It's a bit of a pain.

It's hard to know what to suggest, because it sounds like you were referred, but decided you didn't want the tooth out after all, so didn't go to the first appointment they sent you. (Did you let the hospital know?) But now the tooth is playing you up and you need an appointment after all. Fair enough you didn't realise the second appointment they offered you was your last chance.

If you are no longer entitled to help with costs you will have to pay.

If you are unhappy with your dentist surgery you can either complain in writing to them, or you could change, if you want to. It's not like the doctors where you have to be within the catchment area.

jasper27

**professor~yaffle** wrote: »

I don't know about dental hospitals, but I have noticed that if you miss or reschedule a hospital appointment twice, they send you back to your GP and you have to get re-referred. It's a bit of a pain.

It's hard to know what to suggest, because it sounds like you were referred, but decided you didn't want the tooth out after all, so didn't go to the first appointment they sent you. (Did you let the hospital know?) But now the tooth is playing you up and you need an appointment after all. Fair enough you didn't realise the second appointment they offered you was your last chance.

If you are no longer entitled to help with costs you will have to pay.

If you are unhappy with your dentist surgery you can either complain in writing to them, or you could change, if you want to. It's not like the doctors where you have to be within the catchment area.

Thanks professor~yaffel

I think I need to clarify that I haven't missed any hospital appointments, the actual appointments I missed were from a private oral surgeon which my dentist had referred me to.

My original dentist who I had been with since he set up the surgery about 15 years ago, always did extractions and any other treatment, I have never been referred anywhere else, so I was totally unaware of the procedure.

Out of the blue my dentist surgery changed hands, we were never told this was going to happen, it just happened. The new dentists are all very nice and I have had excellent treatment from them, but my issue is that there seems to be a lack of communication, and I am therefore still without an extraction almost 5 months on.

I totally accept it's my fault on the first missed appointment with the private dentist but I did ring them and inform them about the second.

As for the hospital appointment, it was the first referral and after speaking to the lovely receptionist today, was told they couldn't accept my appointment as either there was not enough info or they felt the dentist could carry out the treatment and they had attached the reason why in the letter they sent back to them on the 21st January.

If I have to pay, then that's that.:(

Undervalued

nonnatus wrote: »

Blimey!

I'm assuming this is all NHS stuff? They offered you two appointments, both of which you turned down, and you expect them to continue to chase you for a third appointment?

You don't make it clear whether you informed them in advance of your first "no-show" although your post suggests that you just decided not to bother because the pain had gone...

I get in trouble at my dentist if I have to move the TIME of an appointment for some reason, I expect they'd be really cross if I needed treatment but decided against it for whatever reason.

Surely you must take SOME responsibility for re-booking the appointment, you can't think you're the only patient?

Sorry but I think that response is completely OTT.

Yes, the OP was at fault for failing to cancel the first appointment (as s/he has acknowledged) but I can't see that they have done anything else wrong.

I find the whole NHS hospital approach of simply sending out appointments, without making any attempt to agree a convenient time, both patronising and wrong. People generally have many things going on and have to juggle priorities. Surely the NHS can't think that an outpatient appointment is the ONLY thing in a patient's life?

At the very least they should have warned the OP that cancelling the second appointment would necessitate a further referral.

Patients, whether NHS or private, are also clients of a professional service. Some medical "professionals" need to get off their high horses and realise this.

Tenyearstogo

The NHS doesn't have the resources to discuss when patients need appointments.

The patient gets sent an appointment, if that appointment is inconvenient then they can rearrange. It's not rocket science. It's the price of a local call.

jasper27

Undervalued wrote: »

Sorry but I think that response is completely OTT.

Yes, the OP was at fault for failing to cancel the first appointment (as s/he has acknowledged) but I can't see that they have done anything else wrong.

I find the whole NHS hospital approach of simply sending out appointments, without making any attempt to agree a convenient time, both patronising and wrong. People generally have many things going on and have to juggle priorities. Surely the NHS can't think that an outpatient appointment is the ONLY thing in a patient's life?

At the very least they should have warned the OP that cancelling the second appointment would necessitate a further referral.

Patients, whether NHS or private, are also clients of a professional service. Some medical "professionals" need to get off their high horses and realise this.

Thanks undervalued
I'm glad someone else thought the same as me x

Jasper (female 49 year old hardworking shift worker)

jasper27

Tenyearstogo wrote: »

The NHS doesn't have the resources to discuss when patients need appointments.

The patient gets sent an appointment, if that appointment is inconvenient then they can rearrange. It's not rocket science. It's the price of a local call.

Tenyearstogo

Yes I understand that.........as I've said before, the fact is I wasn't informed of this or the fact that I didn't have an appointment pending.. surely they should have let me know? Good customer services? Or am I supposed to wait until my next 12 monthly check up??