Give every new patient caller the same clear answer about whether you are taking NHS patients, private patients or both, then capture their details and book an examination or add them to a waiting list. Use a short checklist and an agreed bank of answers, quote only approved fees, and send anyone in pain through your own triage protocol rather than offering advice.
A new patient call is not like a call from a regular. The caller does not know your team, may be ringing several practices in the same morning, and often arrives with a belief about NHS dentistry that is no longer true. The way your front desk handles that first conversation decides whether they join your list, wait for you, or try the next practice.
The good news is that these calls are very repetitive. Once you know the questions, you can agree the answers, write a short checklist and make sure every caller gets the same accurate picture, whoever picks up the phone.
Why are new patients so confused about NHS dentistry?
Many people still think they can register with an NHS dentist in the way they register with a GP. They lost that right in 2006, when the dental contract changed, and Healthwatch England reported in November 2024 that the public remains confused about it.
The NHS website adds a detail that matters for your script. Its guide on how to find an NHS dentist says patients may be asked to fill out a form to register with the practice at their first visit, but that this does not mean they will always be able to get NHS dental treatment there, and that NHS dentists do not have to accept them for NHS treatment.
So a caller who says "I am registered with you" may mean something quite different from what your team means. Healthwatch England research from March 2026 also found more people going private because of NHS access problems, so many callers are weighing up both options at once. Our page on call answering for dentists covers the full range of calls a practice takes; this guide focuses on the new patient call.
What do new patients ask when they ring a practice?
Listen to a week of calls and the same questions come up again and again:
- Are you taking on NHS patients at the moment?
- Is there a waiting list, and how long is it?
- What does a private examination cost?
- Do you offer a payment plan or membership plan?
- I used to come here years ago. Am I still one of your patients?
- I am in pain. Can I be seen even though I am not registered?
- Do you see children, and on what basis?
Apart from the pain question, which needs your triage protocol, none of these needs a dentist. They all need a consistent, current answer the practice has agreed, rather than three slightly different versions from three people.
How should reception explain NHS and private options?
Start with a single paragraph, signed off by the practice manager, that states your current position plainly: whether you are accepting new NHS adults, NHS children, private patients or none of these, and what happens next for each. Update it the day your position changes.
Callers also ask what NHS treatment will cost. For practices in England, the NHSBSA lists the charges from 1 April 2026 as Band 1 £27.90, Band 2 £76.60, Band 3 £332.10 and urgent treatment £27.90. Reception can quote these figures, while which band a course of treatment falls into is for the dentist to explain after an examination.
| Caller question | What your script should give | Who decides the detail |
|---|---|---|
| Are you taking NHS patients? | Your current position, word for word, and the next step | Practice manager |
| What will NHS treatment cost? | The current NHS band charges | Dentist, after an examination |
| What does private care cost? | Your approved examination fee and price guide | Practice manager |
| Do you have a plan? | Plan names and monthly prices you supply | Practice manager |
| Am I still your patient? | A check of your records or a callback, never a guess | Front desk |
| I am in pain | Your triage questions only | Clinical team |
Being clear about private options is not pressure selling. It lets the caller decide on the spot.
What belongs on a new patient call checklist?
A checklist keeps the call short and makes sure nothing is missed. Here is a sensible order:
- Answer in the practice name and ask whether the caller is new or has been seen before.
- Ask whether they are in pain now. If they are, move to your triage protocol.
- Ask whether they are looking for NHS care, private care, or are unsure.
- Give your agreed position and the relevant fees.
- Take their name, phone number, email address, the people the enquiry covers (for example two adults and a child) and the days and times that suit them.
- Book a new patient examination, or add them to your waiting or callback list.
- Explain anything they need to do before the visit, such as completing your forms, in your wording.
- Ask how they heard about you, so you know which channels bring patients.
- Confirm what happens next and record the call.
Keep the questions to what you need. Anything a caller says about their symptoms is health information, which the ICO treats as special category data, so there is no reason for reception to take more detail than your process requires. Our guide to what information receptionists need to answer your calls explains how to turn a list like this into a working script.
How should a waiting list or callback list work?
If you are not taking NHS patients today, the worst outcome is a caller who hangs up with nothing. A waiting list or callback list turns that call into demand you can see and act on. It also gives you something honest to offer: a place on a list, not a promise.
A list only helps if it is run properly:
- Keep one list in one shared place, not separate notes at each desk.
- Record the date of the call, the type of care wanted and how the caller prefers to be contacted.
- Never give a waiting time you cannot stand behind. If you do not know, say so.
- Work through the list in the order your practice policy sets, and record each contact.
- Remove people who have found care elsewhere, so the list stays useful.
The same list is valuable when a patient cancels. A slot offered to someone who has been waiting is filled far more easily than one left empty, which we look at in our guide to how clinics and salons can reduce missed appointments.
What if a new patient rings in pain?
Pain changes the call. Whoever answers, the caller should go through your practice's triage protocol, whether or not they are one of your patients. That means asking only the questions your clinicians have written down, then offering an emergency slot you have released, putting the call through to the practice or sending an urgent message.
Nobody on reception should suggest painkillers, say whether a symptom can wait or describe what treatment might be needed. If you do not see non-registered patients for urgent care, the script should say where to go instead, using wording your dentists have approved. Our article on how a dental practice can stop missing patient calls covers pain calls during the morning rush and the messages patients hear when you are closed.
Where does Onwards Answering fit?
New patient calls tend to land when the front desk is busiest. Our telephone answering service can take those calls in your practice name, as overflow or for every call, as part of our call handling for healthcare. Receptionists are based in Scotland, work from home and never give dental advice. They follow your checklist, book new patient examinations into your calendar or Onwards' free secure booking platform, add callers to your list and pass urgent calls straight to the practice.
During the free 2 week trial the team builds a bank of frequently asked questions about your practice, which is the consistent set of answers this article describes. Every call is followed by a summary by email or SMS. Calls are answered live in business hours, and the included after-hours voicemail is not emergency cover. For more on why a consistent answer matters, see the five most important rules of call handling. After the trial, packages start from £72 per month with no per-call charges; see our prices and plans or contact us to talk it through.
Frequently asked questions
Does filling in a registration form mean someone is an NHS patient at our practice?
Not necessarily. The NHS website says patients may be asked to complete a form to register with a practice at their first visit, but that this does not mean they will always be able to get NHS treatment there. Your script should explain your own position so callers are not left assuming they have an NHS place.
Should reception give private treatment prices over the phone?
Reception can give any prices you have approved, such as a private examination fee or monthly plan prices, and the NHS band charges. A full treatment cost depends on an examination, so the script should say that the dentist will explain options and costs at the appointment rather than guessing on the call.
How often should a dental practice update its new patient script?
Update it whenever your NHS or private position changes, when NHS charges change, and when fees or plans change. A quick monthly check is also sensible. If an answering service takes some of your calls, send the change to them on the same day so every caller hears the same answer.