Other InformationYou can express a preference about which dentist you will see. We will make all reasonable efforts to ensure that the request is met, but this may not always be possible. Should you wish to express a preference of practitioner, please state who you would like to be seen by when booking your appointment.
The following languages are spoken at the practice: English
We endeavour to see all patients and our practice has been designed so patients with disabilities can access care. Unfortunately, whilst we would like to be able to see all patients, due to the nature of the practice building, our treatment areas are not accessible to wheelchairs. If you are a wheelchair user we can make arrangements for you to be seen downstairs, by transferring to our practice wheelchair, alternatively we can refer you to Dorset County Hospital where they have the relevant facilities. If you do have any 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.
Missing appointments wastes time and resources which are needed for other patients. Our practice policy is that if, on more than one occasion, patients cancel less than 24hours’ notice or do not attend an appointment, then we may no longer be able to offer NHS treatment. We will of course take any special circumstances into account. We may still be able to offer private dental care, but may require a non-refundable deposit.
Patients who are violent or abusive to practice personnel, to other patients or anyone else on the practice premises will be refused treatment and reported to the appropriate authorities.
We accept the following method of payment at the practice: Cash and all major credit and debit cards.
Complaints Procedure We aim to make your experience at the practice as pleasurable as possible. However, should you have any complaints, please contact our receptionists on 01305 264827 who will be able to talk you through the process. Alternatively, please send your letter to Royal Terrace Dental Practice, 35 Cornwall Road, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1RY or email the complaints manager on rtdp.dental35@hotmail.com / info@theroyalterracedentalpractice.com.
We take any complaints very seriously, investigating them in a full and fair way and as such, we aim to send an acknowledgement letter within 3 working days and a full reesponse within 10 working days.
Patient Confidentiality We take patient confidentiality extremely seriously at Royal Terrace Dental Practice and all personal information is treated in the strictest confidence. Only members of staff have access to patient information and we have a strict confidentiality policy.
Our privacy policy can be found on the practice notice boards or provided on request.
The General Data Protection Regulations
What is GDPR?
The aim is to give individuals more control over how their personal information is handled. This includes how we handle your data as a patient of our practice. As a patient of our practice, your information is also governed by the Care Quality Commission and General Dental Council regulations. Personal data includes everything ranging from contact details such as your name, address, as well as your x-rays and information about your oral health and overall health you have provided us.
The GDPR principles: our commitment to you and your personal data.
Lawfulness, fairness and transparency
We will process your personal data in a way that is fair, transparent and in keeping with the law.
Purpose limitation
We will only process personal data for the purposes for which it was collected - in order to provide you with the best quality care and to operate our dental practice.
Storage limitation
We will not keep your personal data for any longer than necessary for us to provide our care to you, and we will delete any data that we no longer need to keep.
Data minimisation
We will only collect the personal data that we need in order for us to provide our care to you and operate our dental practice.
Accuracy
We will ensure that the personal data we hold on you is accurate and up to date - and update it promptly when you inform us of any changes.
Integrity & confidentiality
We will ensure that we have the necessary measures in place to protect your personal data and make sure it’s kept secure.
Accountability
We will be accountable for your personal data and make sure that any third parties we share your data with in order to provide you with our care are held to the same standard.
The right to be informed
You have a right to know how your personal data is processed, how long we keep it for and who your data is shared with in a clear and transparent privacy notice.
The right of access
You will have the right to access any personal information we hold about you at the practice, free of charge. You can ask for this by completing a “subject access request” and we will respond within one month.
The right to rectification
You have the right to have your personal information corrected in a timely fashion if you believe it’s inaccurate or incomplete.
The right to erasure
Also known as the “right to be forgotten”, you have the right to ask for your personal data to be deleted when we no longer need your personal data.
The right to restrict
In certain circumstances, you have the right to restrict or limit the extent to which we process your personal data.
The right to data portability
You have the right to request a copy of your personal information in a structured, commonly-used, machine-readable format and ask for it to be sent to another dental practice.
The right to object
You have the right to object to us processing your personal information for certain things, including direct marketing.