I was a new patient at Brighton Dental Clinic and want to share my experience as a warning to others — don’t be misled by the ratings as I was.
I had a 9:10 appointment with the hygienist, but due to a delayed bus I arrived at 9:18. While still within my booked time slot, I was refused treatment. I even received a call at 9:15 while already on my way, and b...
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I was a new patient at Brighton Dental Clinic and want to share my experience as a warning to others — don’t be misled by the ratings as I was.
I had a 9:10 appointment with the hygienist, but due to a delayed bus I arrived at 9:18. While still within my booked time slot, I was refused treatment. I even received a call at 9:15 while already on my way, and by the time I stepped into the clinic in person at 9:18, I was told the appointment was cancelled and was charged a £30 “failed to attend” fee. The explanation was that the hygienist sessions are only 20 minutes and fully booked back-to-back — something I was never informed of in advance. On my previous initial assessment appointment, however, I had to wait more than 20 minutes for the dentist, which shows that the clinic does not apply the same strict standards to themselves. A two-way understanding should be the norm in healthcare, but sadly it wasn’t here.
The practice manager, Gemma Ellison, handled the situation with a rigid and unsympathetic tone. There was no attempt to find a middle ground, reschedule without a fee, or use the remaining time — just cancellation and a fee I was charged automatically. Even obtaining a receipt for this became unnecessarily difficult. The whole interaction felt cold, transactional, and focused on money rather than care.
My first evaluation appointment also felt rushed and very rudimentary. Overall, the clinic gives the impression of being profit-driven rather than patient-centered, which is enough for me to discontinue this clinic which I first visited only 2 weeks ago.
This complaint is not about the £30, but about the punitive attitude and lack of understanding for a very reasonable delay. Future patients should be aware of how this clinic operates before booking.
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