The National Health Service (General Dental Services Contracts) Regulations 2005

Treatment plans

7.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (5), where the contractor agrees to provide a course of treatment to a patient, it shall, at the time of the initial examination and assessment of that patient, ensure that the patient is provided with a treatment plan on a form supplied for that purpose by the Primary Care Trust which shall specify—

(a) the name of the patient;

(b) the name of the contractor;

(c) particulars of the places where the patient will receive services;

(d) the telephone number at which the contractor may be contacted during normal surgery hours;

(e) details of the services (if any) which are, at the date of the examination, considered necessary to secure the oral health of the patient;

(f) the NHS charge, if any, in respect of those services if provided pursuant to the contract; and

(g) any proposals the contractor may have for private services as an alternative to the services proposed under the contract, including particulars of the cost to the patient if he were to accept the provision of private services.

(2) If the patient, having considered the treatment plan provided pursuant to sub-paragraph (1), decides to accept the provision of private services in place of all or part of services under the contract, the contractor shall ensure that the patient signs the treatment plan in the appropriate place to indicate that he has understood the nature of private services to be provided and his acceptance of those services.

(3) Where the services included in the treatment plan under this paragraph need to be varied, the contractor shall provide the patient with a revised treatment plan in accordance with sub-paragraph (1).

(4) Subject to paragraph 6(5), the contractor shall provide the services which are detailed in the treatment plan, or where the treatment plan is revised, the revised treatment plan.

(5) The obligation to provide a treatment plan under this paragraph shall not apply to a Band 1 course of treatment or a charge exempt course of treatment unless—

(a) the contractor is providing privately any part of that course of treatment pursuant to paragraph 10; or

(b) the patient has requested that he be provided with written details of the course of treatment to be provided or that has been provided to him, whether or not he specifically requests a treatment plan.

(6) Where a patient requests the contractor to provide him with a summary of the care and treatment provided under the treatment plan because he intends to receive services from another contractor, the contractor shall provide him with such a summary as he considers appropriate (including details of the care and treatment which could not easily be observed on visual examination).

(7) The summary referred to in sub-paragraph (6) shall be supplied to the patient on a form supplied for that purpose by the Primary Care Trust within 28 days of that request.