Maintenance Plan Terms and Conditions

Alliance Maintenance Plan’s role is to provide administrative services to support the Plan. This includes collecting Your payments for Your Plan and passing these on to the Dentist. These terms and conditions apply between You and the Dentist and govern your use of and access to the Plan (the “Terms”).

Alliance Maintenance Plan are not party to these Terms.

1. Terms used

1.1 In this Agreement:

• “Dentist” means the dental practice business or individual dentist named in the Plan Documentation (this may be different from the treating dentist).

• “Membership Fee” means the amount payable for the Plan as set out in the Plan Documentation.

• “Patient Agreement” has the meaning given in condition 2.1.

• “Portal” means the online patient portal relating to Your Plan.

• “Plan” means the provision of dental services (and other services) to You by the Dentist in accordance with the Plan Documentation.

• “Plan Documentation” means the documents setting out Your Plan price and Plan type provided to You by the Dentist, along with any treatment plan.

• “You or Your” mean the Patient or if applicable Patients signing up to the Plan.

2. Formation

2.1 If You sign up to a Plan:

• online, by completing Your application; or

• in person, by signing the application, or completing an application with the Dentist. You accept that these Terms apply and together with the Plan Documentation, form the entire agreement between You and the Dentist in relation to the Plan and which shall supersede any prior agreements between You and the Dentist (the “Patient Agreement”).

3. Payment

3.1 You agree to pay an initial administration fee to cover the set-up of the Plan, which will be added to Your first monthly Membership Fee, and thereafter a monthly Membership Fee until this Patient Agreement ends. The Membership Fee will be payable by monthly Direct Debit to Alliance Membership Plan who collect the fees as agent (on behalf) of the Dentist. The Membership Fee can, where agreed by Alliance Membership Plan, also be paid annually by Direct Debit or credit card/debit card or other approved payment method.

3.2 Your Membership Fee and the administration fee is inclusive of VAT.

3.3 For the Membership Fee the Dentist will provide dental services to You according to the type of Plan. Details about the Plan and its benefits (the “Plan Benefits’’) can be found in the Plan Documentation or by contacting the Dentist

3.4 Any discounts applied to the Membership Fee are at the discretion of the Dentist. Group discounts (for multiple patients) are only available if agreed by Your Dentist and where payment is made by a single monthly Direct Debit or single annual payment whether by Direct Debit or other payment method

3.5 You are responsible for paying for all dental treatment received that is not covered by the Plan. The Dentist will provide You with the fee-per-item costs at the time of agreeing any treatment not covered by the Plan.

3.6 Where the Membership Fee is being paid by someone other than You (known as the “Payer”), it remains Your responsibility to ensure the Membership Fees due under this Patient Agreement are paid. Where the Payer pays Membership Fees on Your behalf, the Payer is acting as Your agent (on Your behalf).

4. Provision of care

4.1 The dental services will be provided by the Dentist. The Dentist may appoint or employ suitably qualified persons to carry out and perform the dental services (or other services if covered by Your Plan) such as a treating dentist, locum dentist, hygienist or other qualified professional.

5. Access to Alliance Maintenance Plan

5.1 Where Alliance Maintenance Plan notify the Dentist that the Scheme will no longer be part of Your Plan Benefits, then the Dentist reserves the right to remove assistance from the Scheme from Your Plan by giving You or Your Payer 30 days’ notice.

5.2 You understand that access to the Scheme is only available whilst Alliance Maintenance Plan are administering Your Plan on behalf of the Dentist. Should this Patient Agreement end for any reason or should the Dentist decide to transfer Your Plan to another payment administrator, Your access to the Scheme will, from the date of that transfer or termination, end.

5.3 You acknowledge that, where You do not abide by the terms of this Patient Agreement and/or the Scheme Rules, You will lose Your access to the Scheme.

5.4 You may not be eligible to receive assistance from the Scheme if You have not attended the dental practice for an examination at least once in any 12 month period and have not had all necessary remedial work completed (whether or not this is covered under the Plan), and this therefore impacts the treatment You might need as a result of a dental emergency/trauma under the Scheme.

6. Non payment

6.1 If You or Your Payer do not pay the Membership Fee, Alliance Maintenance Plan will (acting on the Dentist’s behalf inform You or Your Payer and make two further attempts to collect the missed payments). These attempts will be made in the two consecutive months following the missed payment, with the missed payments) being collected alongside that month’s Membership Fee. If You or Your Payer fail to pay on three successive payment attempts, this Patient Agreement will end, as stated in condition 11.6. Entitlement to request assistance from the Scheme ceases from the date of the first missed payment.

7. Patient responsibilities

7.1 You agree (as well as paying the Membership Fees) to:

a) attend the Dentist’s practice when invited to do so for check-ups or treatment purposes,

b) accept the advice and recommendations from the treating dentist, or other relevant professional providing services, in respect of remedial work which safeguards Your general dental health or wider health; and

c) inform the treating dentist or other relevant professional providing services of any injury, difficulty or other relevant matter affecting Your dental or wider health generally.

If You fail to comply with the terms of this condition 8.1 You may be liable for fees for dental or other treatment as a result of Your failure.

7.2 All appointments made by You with the Dentist’s practice are subject to the Dentist’s practice rules and procedures. You will be liable for any reasonable charges charged by the Dentist for missed appointments and cancellations where You have not provided sufficient notice. You will not be entitled to a refund for any fees paid or payable (including the Membership Fee) for missed appointments or appointment cancellations. You should check the Dentist’s practice rules and procedures to find out the required notice periods and applicable charges.

7.3 it is Your responsibility to ensure You book appointments available under Your Plan.

7.4 It is Your responsibility to ensure that You and, where applicable, Your Payer’s contact details are kept up to date with Alliance Maintenance Plan and the Dentist’s practice.

8. Electronic Communications

8.1 If the Dentist holds an email address for You or Your Payer, the Dentist will provide all notices and written communications via email and/or via Your Portal only. Such electronic communications shall have the same legal effect as written documents delivered in physical form.

8.2 If You would like to opt-out of electronic communications, and instead request postal communications, please call your Practice.

8.3 If the Dentist does not hold an email address for You or Your Payer, the Dentist will continue to provide notices and written communications via post (until such time as an email address is provided, after which they will be sent as set out in condition 9.1).

9. Changes

9.1 The Dentist reserves the right to make the following changes:

• Changes to the terms of this Patient Agreement to take account of changes in law and regulation and/or taxation; to make them clearer or fairer, to correct mistakes (if reasonable), or to make any other changes that are reasonably necessary:

• Changes to Membership Fees (i) once in every 12 months to take account of changes in laws and regulation, taxation, dental treatment and/or administration costs (in extenuating circumstances only, the Dentist may make a second fee increase within the period stated above); and (il) for capitation plans only (plans which cover preventative and, depending upon Your Plan Benefits, all or some restorative treatment), at any time where there is a change to Your capitation score for clinical reasons which may result in a change to Your Membership Fee;

• Changes to the Plan Benefits; and

• Changes to the Dentist upon a transfer in accordance with condition 15.3.

9.2 Notification of Changes. You or Your Payer will be provided with not less than 30 days’ written notice of any of the changes allowed by this condition 10, such notice to be provided in accordance with condition 9.

9.3 Ending the Patient Agreement. If You do not wish the Patient Agreement to continue following a change notified to You under this condition 10, You or Your Payer (acting on Your behalf) can end the Patient Agreement in accordance with your rights under condition 11.4.

10. Your Cancellation Rights

10.1 This Patient Agreement and Your Plan will continue on a monthly basis unless it is ended by either the Dentist, You or Your Payer (acting on Your behalf) in accordance with this Patient Agreement

10.2 You or Your Payer (acting on Your behalf have the right to cancel this Patient Agreement, within 30 days from the date You or Your Payer sign or enter into this Patient Agreement the “Initial Cancellation Period”), without giving any reason. To exercise the right to cancel, You or Your Payer must, by a clear statement, inform the Dentist of Your decision to cancel this Patient Agreement by:

a letter sent by post/handed to the Dentist;

an e-mail using the contact details provided to You or Your Payer in this Patient

email to practice email or allianceplan@alliancedental.uk

10.3 If You or Your Payer cancel this Patient Agreement during the Initial Cancellation Period, You will be reimbursed, using the means of payment You or Your Payer have set up, with all Membership Fees (including the initial administration fee) paid in connection with this Patient Agreement, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which You or Your Payer cancelled the Patient Agreement in accordance with condition 11.2, unless You have received any dental treatment or assistance from the Scheme, in which case You will pay the amount which is in proportion to what You have received up until the point You or Your Payer informed the Dentist of the cancellation.

10.4 After the Initial Cancellation Period has ended, You or Your Payer (acting on Your behalf) can end the Patient Agreement by giving 30 days’ notice to the Dentist or Alliance Maintenance Plan. For ways to cancel, including a cancellation form, please visit or contact the Dentist or your Practice Manager.

10.5 The Dentist can end this Patient Agreement by giving You or Your Payer at least 30 days’ written notice, expiring on the last day of the calendar month following the month in which notice was served on You or Your Payer, unless You have started a course of treatment under Your Plan which will take longer than 30 days. If this is the case, the Patient Agreement will end when the treatment is complete.

10.6 The Dentist can, in addition to the other rights it has under this Patient Agreement, also end this Patient Agreement at any time with immediate effect if:

a) Your monthly Membership Fees are not paid in accordance with this Patient Agreement;

b) You fail or delay paying the Dentist for any dental services provided, that are incurred in connection with Your Plan; and/or

c) The Dentist, acting reasonably and in accordance with professional standards, declines to treat You.

10.7 Where the Dentist enters into bankruptcy, an individual voluntary arrangement, liquidation, receivership, administration or into a corporate voluntary arrangement as defined by the Insolvency Act 1986, then this Patient Agreement will end.

10.8 Where the Dentist can no longer provide dental services to You, then Alliance Maintenance Plan shall, except to the extent that liability cannot be excluded by law, have no liability to You. In the circumstances stated in this condition 11.8, either the Dentist or Alliance Maintenance Plan will notify You or Your Payer and where possible will give You or Your Payer at least 30 days’ notice, however You acknowledge that in certain circumstances this shall not be possible, and this Patient Agreement will terminate (with Your payments stopping) at the point where the Plan can no longer be provided by the Dentist.

10.9 An end to Alliance Maintenance Plan’s appointment as payment administrator for the Dentist will end Alliance Maintenance Plan’s involvement in Your Plan.

10.10 You are not entitled to a refund of any Membership Fee payments made up until expiry of the period shown in condition 11.4 if the Patient Agreement is cancelled after the Initial Cancellation Period (unless You pay annually where You will receive a pro rata refund for any complete unused months of membership).

10.11 When the Plan is ended for any reason, You agree to pay any fees correctly due to the Dentist for dental treatment instructed prior to the Patient Agreement ending whether such treatment is delivered before or after the end date of this Patient Agreement.

11. Liabilities

11.1 Practise Plan’s responsibility to You extends only in respect of its administration of Your Plan and collection of Membership Fees on behalf of Your Dentist. The Dentist alone is responsible regarding clinical matters, dental treatment and the conduct of the Dentist and its staff. Where the Dentist ceases providing dental services without informing Alliance Maintenance Plan, Alliance Maintenance Plan is not liable to provide any refunds for Membership Fees already paid.

12. Complaints

12.1 If You are unhappy with any aspect of Your dental care You should approach Your Dentist directly following the Dentist’s complaints procedure which has been provided to You.

13. Data Protection

13.1 Where You are taking out a Plan on behalf of a child or another Patient where You are appointed as a Payer, by taking out the Plan and completing this Patient Agreement You confirm that You are authorised to pass their data to Practice Alan and the Dentist.

13.2 Where You have appointed a Payer, You acknowledge and confirm that the Payer is authorised to receive Your correspondence and any notices issued under this Patient Agreement.

13.3 If You need to request assistance from the Scheme, You will need to give the Scheme Manager Your express written consent (in compliance with data protection laws) in order that the Scheme Manager can receive information in relation to Your dental health (this may include dental and medical records) in order for Your request to be assessed. This consent will be requested at the time You submit a Request for Assistance Form. If You do not provide consent, the Scheme Manager will not be able to consider Your information (and therefore Your request for assistance) any further.

14. Other Terms and Conditions

14.1 This Patient Agreement is not transferable by You or between patients and it does not cover the services for You at any dental practice other than at the Dentist’s dental practice(s).

14.2 Where more than one Patient is included in this Patient Agreement, the person signing or accepting the terms of the Patient Agreement shall be responsible for ensuring all Patients comply with the terms and conditions of this Patient Agreement. Where a Patient is under the age of 18, the Payer will be responsible for complying with the Patient obligations and terms and conditions of this Patient Agreement.

14.3 The Dentist can transfer this Patient Agreement:

• between dentists within the same practice; or

• to any other another dentist or dental business, provided that You or Your Payer are notified in accordance with condition 10.2.

14.4 You acknowledge that it is Your responsibility to ensure Your Payer passes all correspondence and notices relating to this Patient Agreement and Your Plan to You Alliance Maintenance Plan and the Dentist reserve the right to also send notices and correspondence direct to You to enable this Patient Agreement to be performed.

14.5 You or Your Payer (acting on Your behalf) can update Your and Your Payer’s contact details (Including email address) at any time by notifying the Dentist or Alliance Maintenance Plan.

14.6 If You, the Dentist or Alliance Maintenance Plan (acting on the Dentist’s behalf), do not exercise a right under this Patient Agreement or delay exercising a right, this does not mean that You, or they, can’t do so in the future.

14.7 If a court invalidates some of this Patient Agreement, the remainder of this Patient Agreement will not be affected.

14.8 This Patient Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the Law of England and Wales and the English Courts alone shall have jurisdiction in any dispute.