Dentally setup guide

What you need, the seven setup steps, what 2care reads and writes in Dentally during a call, and how your sites and NHS and private lists stay separate.

4 min read

How it connects

2care connects to Dentally with access your practice administrator authorises, scoped to the diary. One connection covers every site your practice runs in Dentally.

Availability is read live for each practitioner at each site at the moment of the call.
Bookings are written into Dentally during the call, at the site and with the practitioner the caller chose.
Your configuration is followed as it stands: sites, practitioners and appointment reasons exactly as Dentally holds them.

The access is stored encrypted, and your team keeps working in Dentally as they do today.

Terms used here

Site. One of your practice locations in Dentally, each with its own practitioners and diary.
Appointment reason. The type of visit in Dentally, such as an examination or a hygiene appointment, each with its own length.
NHS and private lists. The two kinds of patient list a practice may hold, each with its own availability and fees.

Before you start

Item	Who provides it
Access to Dentally authorised by your practice administrator	Your practice administrator
Your sites, and which practitioners work at each	Your practice manager
Your appointment reasons and how long each one runs	Your practice manager
Which practitioners hold NHS and private lists	Your practice manager
A signed Data Processing Agreement (DPA) with 2care	Signed before any patient data moves

Setup

Sign the DPA. No patient data is read until it is in place. See GDPR and DPDP.
Authorise access in Dentally. Your practice administrator grants it, and your onboarding specialist walks you through sharing it securely.
Confirm sites and practitioners. We match each practitioner to each site they work at.
Map your appointment reasons. Each reason keeps its own length, and NHS and private reasons stay separate. See visit types and provider templates.
Set your emergency rules. We agree which descriptions go to emergency capacity and which go straight to a person.
Run a test round trip. We book a test appointment, open it in Dentally, then cancel it, with your team watching.
Switch the line over. Your number forwards to 2care at the hours you choose. See forwarding your number.

Most practices are live in about 5 business days.

On a booking call

Step in the call	What the caller hears	What happens in Dentally
Site and list	A question about which practice they attend and whether they are NHS or private	The site is resolved before any availability is offered
Identity	A request for their date of birth	The caller is matched to their existing patient record, or a new patient is registered
Availability	Open times with the practitioner they asked for	Live availability read for that practitioner at that site
Choice	The time they chose, read back	The practitioner is checked again as free at that time
Booking	Confirmation of the appointment	The appointment is written with the appointment reason, site and practitioner
Confirmation	A text with the date, time and location	A summary of the call is added to the appointment

The appointment is only confirmed to the caller once Dentally has accepted it. If the time was taken in the meantime, the booking is not written and the agent offers the next open time instead.

What 2care reads

Practitioner availability, per site, at the moment of the call
Appointment reasons and their durations
Recall status, so the overdue list is your own
Patient records across sites, so nobody is duplicated
Plan and payment details already held

What 2care writes

The appointment, at the site and with the practitioner chosen
New patients, registered with their date of birth, title, sex, first line of address and postcode
Patient contact details, confirmed with the caller before they are saved
The reason for attending and a call summary, kept with the booking
Recall outcomes, so the list reflects reality

Every write is traceable and can be undone. Each one records the call that caused it.

What 2care never touches

Clinical notes, which are never read or written
Results, which are never retrieved or read out: those calls go to your team
Medication requests, which are taken down and passed on, never granted or changed
Anything outside the access your practice administrator authorised

Sites and lists

Several sites on one number. The site is worked out from what the caller says before any time is offered.
NHS and private lists. The agent establishes which list the patient is on, books against that list's availability and appointment reasons, and answers fee questions for that list.
New patient deposits. Where your practice takes a deposit, the agent sends a secure payment link by text after booking.
Cancellations and moves. These requests reach your team with the call summary, so the change is made by the person who knows the diary. See warm transfer to staff.

Questions

Can it work our recall list?

Yes, from Dentally itself, at the cadence you set and honouring the interval each list carries. The appointment is booked during the call: see recall and outreach campaigns.

Where is our patient data held?

2care signs a DPA with your practice and offers UK hosting. See data residency.

Was this page helpful?