Thank you for all your recent comments and questions regarding our withdrawal from the NHS. As a practice, we value our patients’ feedback and we appreciate that any changes to how you currently pay for your dental care may be unsettling. However, we have many options available to you at the practice, including monthly payment plans starting from £13.50 to help you to budget for your dental care.

Below are some frequently asked questions. If you would like to discuss your options with us, we’re delighted to announce that we are holding drop-in Question and Answer sessions every day from 9 to 5. One of our team members will be available to discuss your options – please do pop into the practice or call on 01524 735431 and we will be very happy to help.

We value you greatly as our patient and would like to thank you for all your past support and loyalty over the years. We hope to continue providing you with the highest quality care with high ethical standards in the future as our Denplan Patient.

www.denplan.co.uk/patientapply

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FAQ

1. Are you being privatised?

We have always been a privately owned independent practice. NHS has never owned or operated our practice. We have only been providing a service to the NHS as a contractor.

2. Why have you decided to stop offering NHS treatment?

Over the past few years, we have been striving hard to strike a balance between what we believe good patient care entails and what is feasible within the NHS. We are passionate about what we do. We have decided not to continue providing dental treatment on the NHS anymore because we believe it is no longer viable for us to provide the quality of care we aspire to, on the NHS. The values we cherish, as clinicians, do not allow us to lower the standard of care that we provide you. Therefore, we have had to make the hard decision not to continue offering NHS dental treatment at our practice.

3. What are you replacing NHS dental care with?

We want to continue to provide you the best service, advice and dental care, at an affordable price. Keeping this in mind, we are offering you a monthly payment plan, managed for us by Denplan. We believe this is an affordable high quality alternative to NHS dentistry.

Viva Care membership Plan (Denplan Care) is a comprehensive dental payment plan, which allows you to budget for your regular preventative and restorative dental treatment without the worry of unexpected costs. Our patients who are already on the plan have found it provides them with very good value for money. We sincerely believe that you deserve the best care possible and the change we propose is a positive one.

4. Who is Denplan? Are you being taken over by Denplan?

No, we are not being taken over by Denplan. You will continue to be our patient and be seen by your own dentist. Denplan is the UKs leading dental payment plan specialist, who manage our monthly payment plan for us. Our Association with Denplan for many reasons will mean that we can support you better.

5. What does 'quality of care you believe in' mean?

It means:
A Health-promoting, preventative approach to dentistry with continuity of care: We strongly believe, regular appointments with your dentist and hygienist help you maintain good oral health and help detect problems early. This means: fewer fillings, less dental decay, less likelihood of tooth ache, more attractive teeth, reduced costs and helping you keep your own teeth for life.

High clinical and service standards: We are a 'Denplan Excel' and a BDA (British Dental Association) 'Good Practice'. This means we subject ourselves to rigorous scrutiny, not by one but two independent external bodies, over and above what is required by the NHS or what is legally required to operate as a dental practice. We do so because, our aim is to be an outstanding dental practice in terms of the clinical care we provide, the way we provide it and the systems we have in place to ensure the quality of their provision.

High quality of materials: We only use materials that we consider most appropriate rather than opting to use the cheapest material possible. You may not be aware of the materials we use, but we do and we care. Using better quality materials mean longer lasting solutions and better appearance.

High quality lab work: We only use high quality British dental labs, for all our lab work. For prosthetics (dentures), we have an on-site lab. This means we can be sure, that any lab work, that goes in to your mouth has been manufactured to British Standards by qualified British technicians, using only safe and approved materials and processes. Using local labs also makes it possible for us to offer you a faster service.

High quality dental team: Our dentists and hygienists are highly trained, skilled and experienced. And they give you the appropriate time required when treating you. This means they are not only able to provide high quality care, but also keep it pain free as much as possible. Unlike some practices, dental treatments such as fillings at our practice are carried out by fully qualified dentists rather than auxiliary staff or therapists.

High level of staffing: We are well staffed by a team of well-trained, dedicated and motivated professional staff members. This means all the back and front house operations are done with a high degree of care. We have a separate decontamination room with a dedicated decontamination nurse to ensure we maintain a high degree of cleanliness and infection control. We have dedicated patient care coordinators, to ensure your front of house experience is positive, your queries are addressed appropriately, your appointments are kept and reminded in a timely manner and a high degree of privacy, security and professionalism is maintained.

High quality environment: We have taken pride in creating a dental practice that has a strong sense of place that is not only functional but is clean, bright, beautiful and makes our patients feel calm and relaxed. We have put building and operational systems in place to ensure the smooth running of the practice and make it a delightful place to work or visit.

High quality, equipment & systems: We have invested in high quality state-of the art equipment and systems in order to provide you efficient, safe and high quality dental treatment and patient experience.

These are just some of the elements of high quality of care we refer to.

6. What will the monthly payment plan offer me?

The quality of care we have been offering on the NHS is of a high standard. However, it is no longer feasible for us to keep offering you this level of care on the NHS. So, moving to a monthly payment plan will, as a minimum, ensure you continue to receive the level of care that you are used to. In fact, we will be better able to serve you as we are limiting the number of patients we take on, on our monthly payment plan.

You will continue to be able to see your own dentist and have regular access to your dental team when you require them. Continuing with the NHS would very likely have meant, increasing the time between your regular 'check ups', up to two years, in line with NHS guidelines.

It would allow you to receive the service of our highly trained hygienist, in addition to your dentist, to help keep your gums healthy, as part of your payment plan.

It will give you the ability to budget for your dental care. You will not need to pay for your exams, hygiene visits and necessary treatments (except lab fees) each time you come in, as your monthly payment would cover all that.

It would open up your options to receive advance treatments that are not available on the NHS. This would include white fillings on any tooth and more natural looking crowns, bridges and dentures.

Click here for further information about other benefits & privileges of our 'Care Membership Plan'.

7. What treatments are not available on the NHS?

Not all treatments are available on the NHS. Only treatment that is considered clinically necessary, to protect and maintain good oral health is available on the NHS.

This means the NHS provides any treatment that you need to keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy and free of pain. NHS dental treatment does not include any treatment that is not clinically necessary. Treatments that are used to improve the appearance of your teeth to make them look more attractive are not classified as necessary and therefore are not available on the NHS. For instance, white filling on back teeth or a more natural looking and natural feeling denture, crowns or bridge are not included if they are intended for a cosmetic reason.

The NHS does not require the provision of regular examinations at 6 monthly intervals. The time between your regular 'check-up' may be extended by up to two years.

8. Could I have not continued with the NHS and pay for the difference?

No. The NHS system does not allow you to top up. For instance, you can't choose to pay the NHS fee for a denture and then opt to pay an additional fee for a better quality denture.

9. When do you intend stopping NHS treatment?

NHS service will no longer be available at our practice after 31st May 2014.

10. Why should I pay for dental service privately, rather than receiving it on the NHS for free?

Most people already pay for their dental care, even on the NHS. We believe our monthly payment plans offer a high quality alternative to NHS and provides very good value for money.

11. What if I still want to stay on the NHS?

It will not be possible for you to remain an NHS patient with us after 31st May. If you would like to enquire about NHS dental services you may wish to contact the NHS Helpline on 01253 306378.

12. What if I have a pre-arranged NHS appointment between now and 31st May?

Please attend your appointment as normal. We will continue to see you and complete any outstanding treatments before end of May.

13. What if I have a pre arranged NHS appointment after 31st May?

If you choose to join our monthly payment plan, it is more than likely you will continue to be seen on your pre-booked appointment. If there are any changes, we will notify you. If you choose not to join our monthly payment plan, we will not be able to see you as an NHS patient.

14. What if I have any outstanding treatments on the NHS?

We will do our best to complete any outstanding courses of NHS treatment by the 31st May 2014. If for any reason we cannot complete treatment, we will be in touch with the NHS Local Area Team, to let them know of the situation, so that they can try and refer you to another NHS dentist.

15. How is my monthly payment fee determined?

The monthly fee for your Care Plan, which includes treatment fees within it, is determined by your previous dental treatment, current oral hygiene and anticipated future needs.

16. Why have I been offered Care Plan and not the Essential Plan?

We have done so because the 'Care Plan' provides you better value for money. Not all can join the Care Plan. It is only made available to patients who are considered, by their dentist, to be sufficiently dentally healthy and stable to be given that option.

Although the monthly fee for the 'Care Plan' is higher than the monthly fee for the 'Essential Plan', the Care plan covers treatments as well as exams and hygiene visits required. You may opt to take our 'Essential Plan' if you feel that might suit you better. However if you would like to opt back to the 'Care Plan' at a future date, you may have to be re-assessed to see if you might still be eligible.

17. Why are the spaces limited on your monthly payment plans?

We have limited the places available on our payment plan to ensure that adequate time is available to meet each patient's individual needs and to further improve our service to you.

In order to meet the targets assigned by the NHS for each dentist, time for appointments is necessarily limited. On our monthly payment plan we ensure that you have adequate time with your dentist for your 'Healthy Mouth Review' exam, giving us the opportunity to discuss any problems, concerns or specific wishes that you have. We offer separate 'Hygiene Therapy' appointments with your hygienist, allowing them to offer their particular expertise. The time we allocate for each patient on our monthly payment plan is therefore increased, leading to a necessary limit on the number of patients we can accept.'

18. What should I do to ensure that I remain with Viva Dental & continue to see my own dentist?

Please register with us on Denplan as soon as possible to ensure a place with us, if you wish to continue seeing your dentist. Spaces are allocated on a first come first served basis.

19. How do I register with Denplan, as your patient?

Joining Denplan is Easy. We recommend that you sign up as soon as possible as spaces are limited and all places will be on first come first served basis.

You will need the letter that was sent to you and your bank details to hand in order to complete the application process. Should you be registering any additional family members, you will also need their Unique Patient References.

Go online:

- Click on this link: www.denplan.co.uk/patientapply
- Enter the Practice Reference: 1067
- Enter your Unique Patient Reference quoted on your letter
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the application

Call Denplan:
Register onto Denplan over the phone by calling 0845 602 3243. Opening hours are from 9.00 am - 5.30pm Monday to Thursday and 9.00am - 4.30pm on Fridays.

Come in to our practice:
Our practice staff and a Denplan Advisor will be available to assist you in completing your registration and answer any questions you may have.