Dental Membership Terms

These terms apply to patients enrolled in the Dental Membership Programme operated by Medical and Dental Limited ("we", "us", "the clinic") at our South Kensington and City of London practices.

Our aim is to provide clear, fair and transparent terms in line with the expectations of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the General Dental Council (GDC) Standards for the Dental Team, the UK Advertising Codes administered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), and UK consumer law including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

1. What This Membership Is

The membership is a dental discount plan. In return for a monthly fee, members receive a discount on eligible dental treatment carried out at our clinics, together with the other benefits set out in section 3.

The membership is not dental insurance, a capitation plan or a pre-payment plan, and is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. It does not guarantee that any particular treatment will be clinically appropriate for you, and it does not cover treatment carried out elsewhere.

2. Who Can Join

You can join if you:

• Live in the United Kingdom
• Are aged 18 or over (a parent or legal guardian may enrol a child under 18 as a dependant)
• Provide accurate personal, contact and dental information

We may decline or end membership where the eligibility criteria are not met. Membership is personal to the named member (and any named dependants) and cannot be transferred.

3. Membership Benefits (Dental Only)

Members receive:

• 50% off eligible dental treatment, calculated against the standard non-member prices published on our price list at the time of treatment
• Priority booking for dental appointments, subject to availability
• Access to member-only dental offers and promotions

Where a price is shown as "from", the final fee depends on your individual clinical needs and will be confirmed in a written treatment plan and estimate before treatment begins. The discount is applied to that confirmed fee. The discount cannot be combined with any other offer, voucher or promotion unless we state otherwise in writing.

3.1 Treatments Excluded From the Discount

The 50% discount does not apply to the following, which are charged at our standard prices:

• Dental implants, including All-on-4 and All-on-6 full-arch treatment and implant-retained restorations
• Pro Aligners – invisible braces (clear aligner treatment)
• Bone grafting
• Sinus lifts
• Apicectomy (root-end surgery)
• Treatments involving gold, such as gold crowns and gold inlays or onlays
• Chrome-cobalt (metal-framed) dentures
• Any treatment carried out by a GDC-registered specialist
• Laboratory fees, prescription medicines and products retailed by the clinic

If you are unsure whether a treatment is eligible, please ask before you book. Your written estimate will state clearly whether the membership discount has been applied.

3.2 What Is Not Included

The membership does not cover:

• Medical consultations or GP services
• Specialist medical referrals
• Medical tests, blood tests, scans or health screening
• Treatment provided by any other practice, hospital or laboratory

4. Clinical Care and Your Choices

• All treatment is recommended on clinical grounds only. Membership does not entitle you to any treatment that your dentist does not consider clinically appropriate, and it does not oblige you to accept any treatment.
• You will receive a written treatment plan and cost estimate, and your valid consent will be obtained, before any treatment begins, in line with GDC standards.
• Member and non-member patients receive the same standard of clinical care.
• Where treatment is needed urgently or outside our clinics' capability, we will refer you appropriately. Referred treatment is not covered by the membership.

Our dental professionals are registered with the General Dental Council and our clinics are registered with the Care Quality Commission. Doctors providing medical services are registered with the General Medical Council.

5. Fees and Payment

• Membership fees are payable monthly in advance by Direct Debit or card, at the rate shown on our membership page when you join and confirmed in your welcome email
• Additional family members (dependants) are charged at the dependant rate shown when you join
• A valid payment method must be kept on file for the duration of the membership
• If a payment fails, we will notify you and attempt to collect again. Membership benefits may be suspended until the account is brought up to date, and any treatment carried out while the account is in arrears may be charged at standard prices

We may change the membership fee by giving you at least 30 days' written notice. Fee changes will not take effect during your minimum term. If you do not accept a fee change, you may cancel without penalty before it takes effect.

6. Minimum Term, Cooling-Off & Cancellation

6.1 Your 14-Day Cooling-Off Period

If you join online, by telephone or otherwise away from our premises, you have the right to cancel within 14 days of the day you join, without giving a reason, under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. To do so, email support@md.co.uk or write to the clinic address below.

We will refund any membership fee paid within 14 days of receiving your notice. If you have received discounted treatment during the cooling-off period, the discount received on that treatment will be deducted from the refund (or invoiced), so that you pay the standard price for the treatment you have had.

6.2 Minimum Commitment

After the cooling-off period, all memberships run for a 12-month minimum term from the start date. Fees remain payable for the full 12 months whether or not you use the benefits. After the minimum term the membership continues on a rolling monthly basis until cancelled.

6.3 How to Cancel

You may cancel at any time after the minimum term by:

• Giving at least one month's written notice
• Emailing support@md.co.uk or writing to the clinic address below

Cancellation takes effect at the end of the minimum term or the end of the notice period, whichever is later. We will confirm your cancellation and final payment date in writing.

6.4 Early Cancellation or Non-Payment

If you cancel or stop paying before the end of the minimum term (other than during the cooling-off period, or because of a fee change under section 5, or because we are in breach of these terms), you agree to pay:

• The remaining membership fees for the 12-month minimum term; or, if lower,
• The difference between the discounted price you paid for treatment during the membership and the standard non-member price for that treatment

We will only ever charge whichever of the two amounts is lower, and we will send you an itemised statement before any charge is made. Reasonable administration costs may be added only where permitted by law.

Balances that remain unpaid after written reminders may be referred to a licensed debt-recovery agency.

6.5 Termination by the Clinic

We may suspend or end your membership, giving written notice, if there is:

• A serious or repeated breach of these terms
• Non-payment or an unjustified chargeback
• False or misleading information provided to us
• Abusive, threatening or inappropriate behaviour toward staff or other patients

Outstanding fees for the minimum term remain payable where membership is ended for one of these reasons. If we end the membership for any other reason (for example, because we withdraw the scheme), we will refund any fee paid for the period after the end date and no early-cancellation charge will apply.

Ending your membership does not affect your right to continue as a patient at the clinic at standard prices, and we will always complete any course of treatment already started, or arrange appropriate alternative care, in line with our professional duty.

7. Appointments

Our standard appointment and cancellation policy applies to members. Please give at least 24 hours' notice if you cannot attend. Repeated late cancellations or failure to attend may result in a fee in line with our published practice policy.

8. Your Responsibilities

As a member, you agree to:

• Provide accurate personal and medical information, and tell us promptly if it changes
• Attend appointments or give reasonable notice if you cannot
• Follow clinic policies and the advice of your clinical team
• Treat staff and other patients with respect

9. Data Protection

Your personal and health data are processed securely in accordance with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and our Privacy Policy. Payment details are processed by our payment provider and are not stored in full by the clinic.

You may request access to, or correction of, your data at any time, subject to our legal duties to retain clinical records.

10. Complaints

If you are unhappy with any aspect of the membership or your care, please tell us first so we can put it right. Our Complaints Procedure explains how to raise a concern and the timescales we work to.

If you remain dissatisfied, you may contact:

• Dental Complaints Service (for private dental care) — dcs.gdc-uk.org · 020 8253 0800
• General Dental Council — www.gdc-uk.org
• Care Quality Commission — www.cqc.org.uk
• For consumer or payment disputes, Citizens Advice — www.citizensadvice.org.uk

11. Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms from time to time, for example to reflect changes in law, regulation or the way the scheme operates. Changes will be published on this page with a new "Last Updated" date, and we will give existing members at least 30 days' notice of any change that is to their detriment.

If you do not accept a detrimental change you may cancel before it takes effect without any early-cancellation charge.

12. Liability

Nothing in these terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for any other liability that cannot be limited by law. Subject to that, our liability in connection with the membership scheme itself (as distinct from clinical care) is limited to the membership fees paid in the 12 months before the matter arose. Your statutory rights as a consumer are not affected.

13. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland you may also bring proceedings in your local courts.

14. Contact Details