Policies
This policy page was last updated in August 2025. Policies are reviewed annually or sooner if regulations change.
Smile & Smile is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and our dental clinical professionals are registered with the General Dental Council (GDC).
Please find below the most important policies attached and do feel free anytime if you need anything further.
APPOINTMENT MANAGEMENT AND CANCELLATION POLICY
It is the aim of this practice to provide quality dental care to our patients on schedule and to use clinical time effectively. To achieve this aim, we have an appointment management cancellation policy.
MANAGEMENT OF APPOINTMENTS
We invest in the latest technology, including modern telephone equipment and eventually an online booking system, to allow our patients to make or reschedule appointments easily. Our appointment system supports timely access to care and treatment, allows patients to access services at a time that suits them and minimises the length of time people have to wait. Appointments can be made or rescheduled by calling our dedicated appointments line on 02088316870 or by e-mail info@smileandsmile.co.uk or backoffice@smileandsmile.co.uk or info@toothbeary.co.uk.
Email reminders are sent one week before, and text reminders are sent two days before the appointment.
Patients are requested to inform the practice of any changes to their contact details when booking or attending an appointment.
CANCELLATION OR DELAY OF AN APPOINTMENT BY THE PRACTICE
We will only cancel or delay a patient's appointment in unavoidable circumstances. In such cases, we will take the following steps:
The patient will be contacted as soon as the practice is aware of the need to cancel or delay the appointment. We will explain the reason for the cancellation or delay
At the time of contact, the patient will be offered a new appointment at the earliest time available
If the patient is unable to commit to a new appointment during that contact, we will ask them to get in touch at a later time, when we will offer them a priority appointment
CANCELLATION OF AN APPOINTMENT OR MISSED APPOINTMENT BY A PATIENT
Patients are requested to give at least 24 hours' (clinic working days) notice to cancel a dental appointment.
Cancellations should be made by telephone or via email. Late cancellations and missed appointments may represent a cost to the practice, when other patients could have been seen in the time set aside for the patient.
There is a fee for appointments that are missed or cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice. The fee is based on the length of the appointment and can be found in the private fees list.
It is our aim to telephone or write to patients after a missed appointment to understand the reason for non-attendance and to inform them about any fee or decision about their dental care. We understand that cancellations are sometimes unavoidable due to illness or emergencies and we will take account of all valid circumstances.
Appeals about missed or cancelled appointment decisions should be made in writing to Dr Peter-Daniel Das.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
At Smile & Smile, your health and safety are of paramount importance to us. We are committed to providing a safe environment for all our patients, visitors, and team members. Our procedures are regularly reviewed to ensure they meet current legislation, professional guidance, and best practice standards.
We comply with the requirements of the General Dental Council (GDC), the Health and Safety at Work Act, and other relevant regulations, ensuring that our practice is safe, clean, and well maintained at all times.
As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we are members of the CODE Quality Practice Scheme and use the iComply system. This means our health and safety policies are kept up to date, regularly monitored, and independently reviewed to ensure we meet the highest standards of patient care and safety.
If you notice anything within the practice that may cause concern, please let a member of our team know immediately so that prompt action can be taken.
The safety and wellbeing of our patients and staff is always our priority.
CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY
The practice is committed to complying with the requirements of the legislation governing patient confidentiality including: Access to Health Records 1990, Caldicott Guidelines 1997 - see the Data Quality Policy (M233-DPQ) , Confidentiality Code of Practice 1998, Data Protection Act 2018, GDPR and the current GDC Standards.
For the purpose of this policy, confidential information is defined as all the information that is learnt in a professional role including personal details, medical history, what treatment a patient is having and how much it costs. The definition of personal details includes, but is not limited by, such details as name, age, address, personal circumstances, health, etc. Note that even the fact that a patient attends the practice is confidential. Confidential information may be supplied or stored on any medium including images, videos, health records, and computer records or may be transmitted.
All staff members must be aware of their responsibilities for safeguarding patient confidentiality and keeping information secure and must have received appropriate training on the legislation requirements and the current GDC Standards to ensure that:
No personal information given or received in confidence is passed on to anyone else without the patient's prior consent. To obtain consent a patient is advised what information will be released and why and the likely consequences of the information release. The patient is given an opportunity to withhold their permission to share information, unless exceptional circumstances apply, and note is made on their clinical record of whether or not they gave their permission.
If a patient consents to sharing information about them the team member will ensure that all recipients of the information understand that it is confidential. When referring to dental or medical colleagues we expect them to have the same high standards.
If a patient's information or images are used for research or marketing the team member will advise the patient how these will be used, check that the patient understands what they are agreeing to, obtain and record the patient's consent to their use and only release the minimum information for the purpose. The patient will be advised to withdraw permission at any time.
If it is not necessary for a patient to be identified, they will remain anonymous in any information released
The duty to keep information confidential also covers originals and copies of a patient's photographs, videos or audio recordings, including those made on a mobile phone. No images or recordings will be made without the patient's permission
Patient information remains confidential even after death
Before releasing information without the patient's permission, an effort is always made to either convince the patient to release the information himself or herself or give the practice permission to do so, with the details of the discussion fully documented in the patient record. If obtaining consent from a patient is not practical or appropriate or if the patient will not give their permission, the team member will obtain advice from their professional indemnity organisation before releasing it.
A patient's information will only be released without their prior permission in the following exceptional circumstances:
It is in the best interests of the public or the patient and the information released could be important in preventing or detecting a serious crime
If a team member has information that a patient could be at risk of significant harm or may be a victim of abuse, in which case the appropriate care agencies or the police will be informed
If a team member is required to disclose information by a court or a court order, in which case only the minimum amount of information necessary to comply will be released
The practice treats breaches of confidentiality very seriously. No team member shall knowingly misuse any confidential information or allow others to do so. Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action.
This policy should be read in conjunction with the Social Media Policy (M 233-SMD), Data Quality Policy (M233-DPT), Information Protection and Security Policy (M 233-DPT) and the Information Governance Procedures (M 217C).
CHARTER ON PATIENT SAFETY
At Smile & Smile, your safety is always our top priority. We are committed to creating a culture where patient safety comes first in everything we do – from the care we provide to the equipment we use, the training we deliver to our team, and the way we run our practice.
We follow the standards set out by the General Dental Council (GDC) and comply fully with NHS England guidance, national regulations, and best practice in dentistry.
For your safety, we:
Follow the latest infection prevention and control guidelines, including NHS England and HTM 01-05.
Use dental instruments that are single-use or are thoroughly sterilised after each patient.
Clean and disinfect treatment areas and equipment (including dental chairs, handheld devices, and surfaces) between every patient.
Maintain the highest standards of personal hygiene, including clinical clothing and restrictions on jewellery.
Regularly test our water systems and disinfect dental unit waterlines to ensure they are safe.
Manage and dispose of clinical waste safely and in line with regulations.
Take specialist occupational health advice if any team member may have a blood-borne infection, ensuring safe practice for both patients and staff.
Ensure every member of our team is trained in safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, with procedures that are regularly reviewed.
We are members of the CODE Quality Practice Scheme and use the iComply system for continuous improvement. This means our practice is independently monitored to ensure we meet the highest standards of patient safety, care, and service.
As a practice Owner I take overall responsibility for patient safety. I lead and support the team through regular training, meetings, and audits so that we are always improving.
We welcome your questions, comments, or suggestions. If you would like to know more about how we keep you safe, please contact the practice anytime.
PRIVACY NOTICE
The practice aims to meet the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018, the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the guidelines on the Information Commissioner’s (ICO) website as well as our professional guidelines and requirements.
The data controller is Dr Peter-Daniel Das, who is also the Information Governance Lead.
This Privacy Notice is available on the practice website and by email if you contact: info@smileandsmile.co.uk
You will be asked to provide personal information when joining the practice. The purpose of processing your personal data is to provide optimum health care and prevention.
The categories and examples of data we process are:
Personal data for the provision of dental health care
Personal data for the purposes of providing treatment plans, recall appointments, reminders or estimates
Personal data such as details of family members for the provision of health care to children or for emergency contact details
Personal data for the purposes of employed and self-employed team members’ work
Personal data for direct mail/email/text to inform you of important announcements or new services
Special category data including health records for the delivery of healthcare and legal obligations
Special category data to meet the requirements of the Equality Act 2010
Special category data, including criminal record checks for employees and contracted team members
We minimise the data that we keep, and do not keep it for longer than necessary.
We never pass your personal details to a third party unless we have a contract for them to process data on our behalf and will otherwise keep it confidential. If we intend to refer a patient to another practitioner or to secondary care such as a hospital we will gain the individual’s permission before the referral is made and the personal data is shared. Your data will be shared with the NHS in England if you are having NHS treatment.
Personal data is stored in the UK or EU whether in digital or hard copy format
Personal data is stored outside of the UK and/or EU in digital format when suitable safeguards have been put in place to allow personal data to be transferred
Personal data is obtained when a patient joins the practice, when a patient is referred to the practice and when a patient subscribes to an email list
For full details or where your data is stored, please ask to see Information Governance Procedures
(M 217C).
We have established the following lawful bases for processing your data:
Our lawful bases for processing personal data:
The legitimate interests of the dental practice
Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with the data subject or to take steps to enter into a contract
Consent of the data subject
To comply with our legal obligations
Our Article 9 conditions for processing special category data:
Processing is necessary for health care purposes
Processing necessary for identifying or keeping under review the existence or absence of equality of opportunity or treatment between groups of people with the view to enabling such equality to be promoted or maintained. We obtain consent of the data subject to process criminal record checks
The reasons we process the data include:
To maintain your contemporaneous clinical records:
To provide you with dental treatment, prevention and oral health adviceTo carry out financial transactions with you
To manage your NHS dental care treatment in referral cases
To send your personal data to the General Dental Council or other authority as required by law
To communicate with you as and when required including appointment reminders, treatment plans, estimates and other communications about your treatment or the practice
To communicate with your next of kin in an emergency
If a parent or carer to communicate with you about the person you parent or care for
To refer you to other dentists or doctors and health professionals as required
To obtain criminal record disclosures for team members
For debt recovery
To continually improve the care and service you receive from us
The personal data we process includes:
Your name, address, gender, date of birth, medical history, dental history, family medical history, family contact details, for processing payment, your doctor’s details and details of treatment at the practice.
The retention period for special data in patient records is a minimum of 11 years and may be longer for complex records or to meet our legal requirements. The retention periods for other personal data is 2 years after it was last processed. Details of other retention periods are available in the Record Retention (M 215) procedure available from the practice.
We obtain your personal details when you enquire about our care and service, when you join the practice, or register online (in the nearest future), when you complete a registration or medical history form and when another practitioner refers you for treatment at our practice. Occasionally patients are referred to us from other official sources such as NHS facilities.
You have the following personal data rights:
The right to be informed about the collection and use of your personal data
The right of access – to have a copy of the data we hold about you. Generally, we will not charge for this service
The right to rectification - to correct the data we have if it is inaccurate or incomplete
The right to deletion of your personal data (clinical records must be retained for a certain time period)
The right to restrict processing of your personal data; the right to data portability – to have your data transferred to someone else
The right to object to the processing of your personal data. Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling
Further details of these rights can be seen in our Information Governance Procedures (M 217C) or at the Information Commissioner’s website. Here are some practical examples of your rights:
If you are a patient of the practice you have the right to withdraw consent for important notifications, surveys or marketing. You can inform us to correct errors in your personal details or withdraw consent from communication methods such as telephone, email or text. You have the right to obtain a free copy of your patient records within one calendar month.
We have carried out a Privacy Impact Assessment in Sensitive Information Map, PIA and Risk Assessment (M 217Q) and you can request a copy from the details below. The details of how we ensure security of personal data is in our Security Risk Assessment (M 217M) and Information Governance Procedures (M 217C).
Comments, suggestions and complaints
Please contact Dr Peter-Daniel Das at the practice for a comment, suggestion or a complaint about your data processing at info@smileandsmile.co.uk, or 02088316870 or by writing to or visiting the practice at 358a Richmond Road, TW1 2DU. We take complaints very seriously.
If you are unhappy with our response or if you need any advice you should contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Their telephone number is 0303 123 1113, you can also chat online with an advisor. The ICO can investigate your claim and take action against anyone who’s misused personal data. You can also visit their website for information on how to make a data protection complaint.
Related practice procedures
You can also use these contact details to request copies of the following practice policies or procedures:
Data Protection and Information Security Policy (M 233-CNS)Sensitive Information Map, PIA and Risk Assessment (M 217Q), Information Governance Procedures (M 217C), Record Retention (M 215)
If you have an enquiry or a request please contact the Information Governance Lead
Dr Peter-Daniel Das.
Smile and Smile,
358a Richmond Road, Tw1 2DU,
Email: info@smileandsmile.co.uk
Phone: 02088316870.
HOW WE LOOK AFTER YOUR INFORMATION
At Smile & Smile, we are committed to protecting your privacy and keeping your information secure. We collect and hold personal information about you so that we can provide you with safe, effective, and high-quality dental care.
What we record
We may record details such as:
Your name, address, date of birth, and contact details.
Your medical and dental history.
Records of your treatment, x-rays, and notes.
Medicines prescribed and information relevant to your ongoing care.
Information shared with us by other healthcare professionals involved in your treatment.
How we use your information
We only use your information to:
Provide your dental care.
Contact you about appointments and treatment.
Work with other health professionals or laboratories involved in your care.
Meet legal or regulatory requirements (for example, GDC or CQC inspections).
Sharing your information
We will not share your information with anyone else without your permission, unless required to do so by law or in the public interest. Anyone who receives information from us also has a legal duty to keep it confidential.
Your rights
You have the right to:
Access your dental records.
Ask us to correct any errors.
Request that your information is not shared (unless required by law).
Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how your data is handled.
How we keep your information safe
We follow strict confidentiality rules set by the General Dental Council (GDC), the NHS, and the law. All of our staff are trained in data protection and confidentiality.
COOKIE POLICY
At Smile & Smile, we want to be open and transparent about how we use your information online. Like most websites, our site uses “cookies” – small text files placed on your device – to make the site work properly, improve your experience, and help us understand how our website is being used.
We are committed to protecting your personal information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), and the General Dental Council’s standards on patient information and transparency.
What are cookies
Cookies are small text files stored on your computer, tablet, or phone when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites function, work more efficiently, and provide information to the website owner.
Cookies can be:
Strictly necessary – essential for the website to function.
Performance/analytics – help us understand how visitors use our website.
Functional – remember your preferences and settings.
Targeting/advertising – used to deliver relevant content or measure marketing campaigns.
How we use cookies
We use cookies for the following purposes:
a) Strictly necessary cookies
These enable the core features of our website, such as page navigation and access to secure areas (e.g., appointment request forms). Without these cookies, the site cannot function properly.
b) Performance & analytics cookies
We use Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors use our website. This includes information such as:
Which pages are most visited.
How users move around the site.
How people find our website (e.g., search engines, referral links).
This data is collected in an anonymous form. Google Analytics uses IP anonymisation so your full IP address is not stored. We do not combine this information with any personal data we hold about you.
c) Functionality cookies
These allow us to remember your preferences (such as cookie consent choices) and improve the way our website works for you.
Cookies we use
Below is a list of the main cookies set on our website:
PHPSESSID – This is a strictly necessary cookie that maintains your browsing session while you move around the site. It is deleted when you close your browser (session cookie).
cookieconsent_status – This is a functional cookie that remembers your cookie preferences, so we don’t have to ask you every time you visit. It lasts for one year.
_ga, _gid, _gat (Google Analytics cookies) – These are performance and analytics cookies provided by Google. They help us understand how visitors use our website (for example, which pages are visited and how users navigate the site). These cookies can last from one day up to two years.
Some third-party services (such as Google or embedded video players like YouTube) may also place cookies when you use certain features of our site. Note: Third-party providers (e.g., Google, YouTube, social media platforms) may set additional cookies when their services are embedded in our site.
Third-party cookies
We use third-party services such as Google Analytics. Information generated by these cookies may be transmitted to and stored on Google’s servers outside the UK/EEA. Google complies with UK data protection law and its own policies apply.
Read Google’s Privacy Policy and
Opt out of Google Analytics
Managing your cookie preferences
When you visit our website, you will see a cookie consent banner that allows you to accept or reject non-essential cookies. You can also change your preferences at any time by selecting “Cookie Settings” at the bottom of the page.
In addition, you can manage cookies through your browser settings:
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
Apple Safari
Microsoft Edge
Opera
Please note: if you disable certain cookies, some features of our website may not work as intended.
Update to this Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time, for example if the law or our website services change. Any updates will be published on this page with a new “last updated” date.
Contact us if you have any questions about our Cookie Policy anytime.
PATIENTS COMPLAINTS POLICY
It is the aim of this practice to “Have a Clear Effective Complaints Procedure” by meeting the GDC ‘Standards for the Dental Team’ and deliver good practice in complaint handling.
The team is trained to resolve all complaints promptly, efficiently and politely by following our Patient Complaints Procedure and Complaints Management procedures. The team responds to complaints in the time limits set by the Complaints Procedure and always provides constructive responses to complaints. The practice never discriminates against a patient who has made a complaint.
Team members cannot react defensively to a complaint but must listen carefully to a patient who makes one whilst involving them fully in the process of managing it. The team members will, to the best of their abilities, endeavour to meet any outcomes the patient expects.
If a patient is not satisfied despite our best efforts to resolve the complaint they will be informed about other avenues that are open to them such as the GDC Dental Complaints Service.
The team are regularly trained in complaint handling and are involved in the regular review of complaints, complaints procedures and management through iComply so that services, policies and procedures can be continually improved.
PATIENT COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
The practice has developed a framework for managing complaints and feedback based on these principles:
All patients feedback is important to us
We want to make it easy for patients to raise a concern or a complaint, if they need to
We follow a complaints procedure and keep patients informed
We will try to answer all patient questions and any concerns raised
We want patients to have a positive experience of making a complaint
Patients feedback helps us to improve our service.
It is our aim to always have satisfied patients, to meet your expectations of care and service and to resolve any complaints as efficiently, effectively and politely as possible. We take complaints very seriously, we investigate them in a full and fair way and take great care to protect your confidentiality. We learn from complaints to improve our care and service. We will never discriminate against patients who have made a complaint and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have about this procedure.
If you are not entirely satisfied with any aspect of our care or service please let us know as soon as possible to allow us to address your concerns promptly. We accept complaints made verbally as well as written complaints.
Dr Peter-Daniel Das will be your personal contact to assist you with any complaints. We aim to resolve verbal complaints within 24 hours where possible, but if you complain in writing to Dr Peter-Daniel Das he will send you an acknowledgement letter as soon as practical and will aim to provide a full response in writing within 28 days.
If Dr Peter-Daniel Das is unavailable you can contact the Practice Manager of Toothbeary and brief details about the complaint will be taken and an appointment/meeting when it is suitable for you and the practice will be arranged. We will keep comprehensive and confidential records of your complaint, which will be stored securely and accessible only to those who need to know about your complaint.
If the complaint investigation takes longer than anticipated Dr Peter-Daniel Das will contact you at least every ten working days to keep you informed of the reason for any delays, the progress of the investigation and the proposed date it will be completed.
When the investigation has been completed, you will be informed of its outcome in writing. We will make our response clear, addressing each of your concerns as best as we can. You will also be invited to a meeting to discuss the results and any practical solutions that we can offer to you. These solutions could include replacing treatment, refunding fees paid, referring you for specialist treatments or other solutions that meet your needs and resolve the complaint.
We regularly analyse patient complaints to learn from them and to improve our services. That’s why we always welcome your feedback, comments, suggestions and complaints. If you are dissatisfied with our response to a complaint you can take the matter further, please see the contacts below.
If you are dissatisfied with our response to a complaint you can contact the GDC private dental complaints service within 12 months of the treatment or within 12 months of becoming aware of the issue. Please see the contact details below.
Contacts
GDC private dental complaints service can be contacted by calling 020 8253 0800 or visiting www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC), which regulates private and NHS dental services, can be contacted by calling 03000 616161. They can take action against a service provider that is not meeting their standards
The General Dental Council is responsible for regulating all dental professionals. You can complain using their online form at www.gdc-uk.org contact them on information@gdc-org.uk or by calling 020 7167 6000.
The Information Commissioner: The Information Commissioner is an independent public body and reports directly to Parliament. Further information is available at www.ico.gov.uk
THE PRACTICE QUALITY ASSURANCE AND GOVERNANCE POLICY
Our quality assurance policy is to have a successful practice by providing a standard of service that consistently satisfies the need and expectations of our patients. This level of quality is achieved through use of our governance system and careful management in a continually improving, safe environment. Our standards and procedures aim to meet all professional regulations and legislation including The Fundamental Standards from the Care Quality Commission.
Our quality assurance is based on the iComply clinical governance system; it keeps us updated with the latest legal and professional requirements.
Dr Peter-Daniel Das is the practice owner and holds both ultimate and day-to-day responsibility.
Dr Peter-Daniel Das has the day-to-day responsibility.
iComply prompts us to perform quality improvement through:
Carrying out risk assessments with follow up actions taken to minimise risk
Carrying out regular audits with follow up actions to improve the standards of care in:
Clinical Records
Infection Prevention and Control
Radiograph Quality and Equipment
Disability Access
Antimicrobial Prescribing
The regular review of policies, procedures and practice guidelines
Actively seeking patient feedback to improve care and service
Responding to and learning from safety alerts, events, incidents, comments and complaints
Learning, health and safety and clinical effectiveness shared at practice meetings
Performing annual reviews to see how well the practice has performed and to set new standards for the year ahead
Team training, appraisals and involvement in creating a quality-led practice
Our quality objectives are:
To continually improve the level of care and service
That patients enjoy all aspects of the experience they have with us
Total patient satisfaction
We aim to offer specialist or other treatments to a high standard
We provide minimally invasive treatments
We work to earn a great reputation so that our patients refer their friends and family to us
WEBSITE TERMS OF USE & DISCLAIMER
Acceptance of Terms
By accessing and using the Smile and Smile at Toothbeary website (“the Site”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not accept these terms, you should not use the Site.
Purpose of the Site
The Site is intended to provide general information about our dental practice, services, and related topics. While we make reasonable efforts to ensure the information is accurate and kept up to date, we give no guarantee that the content is complete, accurate, or suitable for any particular purpose.
No Medical or Dental Advice
The content on this Site is for general information only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical or dental advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always seek the advice of a qualified dental or healthcare professional regarding any condition or treatment. Do not disregard professional advice because of information you have read on this Site.
Limitation of Liability
Smile and Smile accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or inconvenience arising from use of this Site or reliance on its contents. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we exclude all liability for direct, indirect, or consequential loss or damage incurred in connection with use of the Site.
Availability of the Site
We make every effort to keep the Site up and running. However, we do not guarantee that the Site will always be available or uninterrupted, and we accept no responsibility for any loss or damage caused by temporary unavailability.
Intellectual Property Rights
All content on this Site, including text, graphics, logos, images, and design, is the property of Smile and Smile (unless otherwise stated) and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may view, download, and print material for personal, non-commercial use only. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, or modify any part of this Site without our prior written consent.
7. Third-Party Links
This Site may include links to third-party websites. These links are provided for convenience only, and we accept no responsibility or liability for the content, accuracy, or security of those websites. The inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement.
8. Linking to This Site
You may link to our homepage, provided it is done in a fair and legal manner that does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it. We reserve the right to withdraw permission for linking without notice. You must not establish a link in a way that suggests any form of association, approval, or endorsement where none exists.
9. Changes to Terms
We may update these Terms of Use from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page, and you are encouraged to review this page regularly to stay informed.
10. Governing Law
These Terms of Use shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising in connection with these terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT
We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all our patients, visitors, and staff. We want everyone to feel comfortable and cared for when they visit our practice, regardless of age, ability, or needs.
Our Commitment
We strive to make our services accessible to all patients, including those with disabilities.
Our team is trained to support patients who may need extra time, reassurance, or adjustments to their care.
We review our facilities and procedures regularly to ensure they meet the needs of our diverse community.
Reasonable adjustments are always made in line with the Equality Act 2010
Physical Access
Our practice is wheelchair accessible. If you require assistance entering or moving around the practice, our staff are always happy to help.
Accessible toilet facilities are available.
If you have specific mobility needs, please let us know before your appointment so we can make any necessary arrangements.
Communication Support
We aim to communicate clearly and respectfully, avoiding jargon and making sure information is easy to understand.
Large print information and written treatment plans are available on request.
If you require a translator, interpreter, or other communication support, please contact us in advance and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.
Sensory-Friendly Care
We understand that visiting the dentist can be stressful, especially for patients with sensory sensitivities.
We can provide quieter appointment times where possible.
Patients are welcome to bring comfort items or request breaks during treatment.
Website Accessibility
Our website aims to meet the WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards. We are working to make our website always accessible and easy to use for all visitors. If you experience any difficulty using our site, please let us know so we can improve.
Feedback
We welcome feedback on how we can improve accessibility. If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please contact us anytime.
OUR PRACTICE IS FOLLOWING THE GDC STANDARDS
As dental professionals we are registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) and meet its standards. There are nine principles that we follow:
Put patients’ interest first
Communicate effectively with patients
Obtain valid consent
Maintain and protect patients’ information
Have a clear and effective complaints procedure
Work with colleagues in a way that is in patients’ best interests
Maintain, develop and work within our professional knowledge and skills
Raise concerns if patients are at risk
Make sure our personal behaviour maintains confidence in us and the dental profession
SUMMARY FOR OUR PATIENTS:
Your care, safety, and privacy are our top priorities.
Here’s a quick guide to how we look after you:
Appointments
Email reminder 1 week before & text 2 days before
Please give 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel
Late cancellations or missed appointments may incur a fee
If we must cancel, we’ll rebook you as soon as possible
Your Safety
Strict infection control – all instruments single-use or sterilised
Treatment rooms cleaned between every patient
Members of the CODE Quality Practice Scheme & iComply system
Our safety standards are independently reviewed & regularly improved
Confidentiality & Privacy
Your information is kept safe & confidential
Shared only with those involved in your care or when required by law
You have the right to:
✔ Access your records
✔ Correct mistakes
✔ Choose how we contact you
✔ Withdraw consent for marketing/updates
Complaints & Feedback
We take all feedback and complaints very seriously
Speak to Dr Peter-Daniel Das or a member of our team
We aim to resolve complaints within 28 days
If not resolved, you can contact:
GDC Dental Complaints Service
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Accessibility
Fully wheelchair accessible
Accessible toilet available
Large print, translators & interpreters on request
Let us know if you have additional needs – we’re here to help
Our Standards (GDC Principles)
We always:
Put patients first
Communicate clearly
Obtain valid consent
Protect your information
Have a clear complaints process
Work with colleagues in your best interests
Maintain our skills & knowledge
Raise concerns if patients are at risk
Behave professionally & respectfully
Full policies are available on request or online by visiting www.smileandsmile.co.uk or please ask if you’d like a copy anytime
This policy page was last updated in August 2025. Policies are reviewed annually or sooner if regulations change