Access to care

We want patients with disabilities to feel welcome at Talbot Street Dental Surgery.

We have a downstairs surgery for patients who are unable to climb the stairs.

Our patient toilet is equipped for use by patients who need to use a wheelchair.

There is a hearing loop facility at our reception desk for patients who are hard of hearing.

Sometimes, the nature of a disability can mean that dental care may be provided in a specialist setting in a way that is more suited to your specific disability. We are able to provide a referral service to specialist or clinics if  we feel that they may be able to offer care that is more suited to your needs.

If you have a disability and feel that we could be doing more to help you, or are unsure if we can provide care for you, then please get in touch.

Dental Chair Weight Limit

Our dental chairs have a weight limit of 21 stone. We may ask you to confirm your weight to ensure it is safe for you to receive treatment at our practice. It is important you provide us with accurate information as our equipment can be dangerous to patients and staff if not used appropriately and in accordance to guidance issued by the manufacturer.

We understand that this can be a sensitive topic. We will always offer to refer you to another facility where you can be treated safely. 

Payments

Payments can be made by CASH, or CREDIT/DEBIT CARD.

Payments can be made in person or over the telephone. 

Payment for each course of treatment must be made in full at the time of receiving treatment or in advance of receiving treatment.

Missed appointments / Removal from our NHS list

You may not be given any further NHS appointments if you fail to attend (do not turn up for an appointment you have booked) or cancel with less than 24 hours' notice on two or more occasions and/or cancel multiple appointments.

This is a rule enforced by the local health board and applies to all NHS Dental Practices in Wales. It is in place to ensure NHS funding is not wasted and that patients who do not attend regularly are removed from our list so we can offer care to adults and children who do not have a dentist.  

The local health board will assist you in finding another practice if you are removed from our list. Please use the QR code on the first page of our website to access the waiting list.

Concerns / Complaints

We want you to be happy with every aspect of our service. If there is something you are not happy about, we would like to help.

We have a detailed complaints policy which is on display in the reception area of our practice. In the first instance, please notify a member of staff that you have a concern/complaint. We will talk to you about the next steps. Alternatively, please telephone 01656733295 or write to 'Practice Manager, Talbot Street Dental Surgery, Maesteg CF34 9BW'. 

Suggestions and Feedback

We would love to hear from you!

Suggestions as to how we can improve our services or website are always appreciated.

Data Protection Privacy Notice for Patients

In providing your dental care and treatment, we will ask for information about you and your health. Occasionally, we may receive information from other providers who have been involved in providing your care. This privacy notice describes the type of personal information we hold, why we hold it and what we do with it.

About us

We are Talbot Street Dental Surgery & Cymmer Dental Surgery operating at 24 Talbot Street, Maesteg CF34 9BW and Cymmer Health Centre, SA13 3HR

Dr Robert P C Coles and Dr Rachel Coles are responsible for keeping secure the information about you that we hold. Those at the practice who have access to your information include dentists and other dental professionals involved with your care and treatment, and the reception staff responsible for the management and administration of the practice.

Our data protection officer, Mrs Catherine Griffiths ensures that the practice complies with data protection requirements to ensure that we collect, use, store and dispose of your information responsibly.

You can contact our data protection officer by telephone on 01656 733295

Information that we hold

We can only keep and use information for specific reasons set out in the law. If we want to keep and use information about your health, we can only do so in particular circumstances. Below, we describe the information we hold and why, and the lawful basis for collecting and using it.

Contact details

We hold personal information about you including your name, date of birth, national insurance number, NHS number, address, telephone number and email address. This information allows us to fulfil our contract with you to provide appointments. We will also use the information to send you reminders and recall appointments as we have a legitimate interest to ensure your continuing care and to make you aware of our services. 

Dental records

We hold information about your dental and general health, including:

Clinical records made by dentists and other dental professionals involved with your care and treatment

X-rays, clinical photographs, digital scans of your mouth and teeth, and study models

Medical and dental histories

Treatment plans and consent

Notes of conversations with you about your care

Dates of your appointments

Details of any complaints you have made and how these complaints were dealt with

Correspondence with you and other health professionals or institutions.

We collect and use this information to allow us to provide the best care possible for your needs. We also use this information for the legitimate interest of ensuring the quality of the treatment we provide. 

Financial information

We hold information about the fees we have charged, the amounts you have paid and some payment details. This information forms part of our contractual obligation to you to provide dental care and allows us to meet legal financial requirements.

Where your dental care is provided under the terms of the NHS, we are required to complete statutory forms to allow payments to be processed. This is an NHS requirement. 

How we use your information

To provide you with the dental care and treatment that you need, we require up-to-date and accurate information about you.

We will share your information with other bodies within NHS in connection with your dental treatment.

We may contact you to conduct patient surveys or to find out if you are happy with the treatment you received for quality control purposes.

We will seek your preference for how we contact you about your dental care. Our usual methods are telephone or email.

If we wish to use your information for dental research or dental education, we will discuss this with you and seek your consent. Depending on the purpose and if possible, we will anonymise your information. If this is not possible we will inform you and discuss your options.

Sharing information

Your information is normally used only by those working at the practice but there may be instances where we need to share it – for example, with:

Your doctor

The hospital or community dental services or other health professionals caring for you

Specialist dental or medical services to which we may refer you

NHS payment authorities

The Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies, where you are claiming exemption or remission from NHS charges

Dental laboratories

Debt collection agencies

Private dental schemes of which you are a member.

We will only disclose your information on a need-to-know basis and will limit any information that we share to the minimum necessary. We will let you know in advance if we send your medical information to another medical provider and we will give you the details of that provider at that time.

In certain circumstances or if required by law, we may need to disclose your information to a third party not connected with your health care, including HMRC or other law enforcement or government agencies.

Keeping your information safe

We store your personal information securely on our practice computer system and in a manual filing system. Your information cannot be accessed by those who do not work at the practice; only those working at the practice have access to your information. They understand their legal responsibility to maintain confidentiality and follow practice procedures to ensure this.

We take precautions to ensure security of the practice premises, the practice filing systems and computers. We occasionally need to transport your dental records between the two practices named above to enable us to have up-to-date information about you at the time of your appointment. This will only happen if we are not able to access your record digitally (via our secure computer system). If records are transported between practices, this will be done in a locked carrier, and transported by the practice owner or a senior member of our practice staff.

We use high-quality specialist dental software to record and use your personal information safely and effectively. Our computer system has a secure audit trail and we back-up information routinely.

We keep your records for 10 years after the date of your last visit to the Practice or until you reach the age of 25 years, whichever is the longer. At your request, we will delete non-essential information (for example some contact details) before the end of this period.

Access to your information and other rights

You have a right to access the information that we hold about you and to receive a copy. We do not usually charge you for copies of your information; if we pass on a charge, we will explain the reasons.

You can also request us to

Correct any information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. If we have disclosed that information to a third party, we will let them know about the change.

Erase some of the information we hold. For legal reasons, we may be unable to erase certain information (for example, information about your dental treatment). However, we can, if you ask us to, delete some contact details and other non-clinical information.

Stop using your information – for example, sending you reminders for appointments or information about our service. Even if you have given us consent to send you marketing information, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

Stop using information if you believe the information is inaccurate or you believe we are using your information illegally.

Supply your information electronically to another dentist.

If we are relying on your consent to use your personal information for a particular purpose, you may withdraw your consent at any time and we will stop using your information for that purpose.

All requests should be made in writing by post to our Data Protection Officer, Dr R Coles, 24 Talbot Street, Maesteg Bridgend CF34 9BW

If you do not agree

If you do not wish us to use your personal information as described, you should discuss the matter with your dentist. If you object to the way that we collect and use your information, we may not be able to continue to provide your dental care.

If you have any concerns about how we use your information and you do not feel able to discuss it with your dentist or anyone at the practice, you should contact The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF (0303 123 1113 or 01625 545745).

Published 28th April 2020

Reviewed 11th January 2024