George House Dental Practice closes 'without bankruptcy warning'
A dental practice which has closed due to bankruptcy gave health officials only two days' notice that it was in trouble, NHS England has said.
The closure of George House Dental Practice in Bodmin, Cornwall, has left 2,300 patients seeking a new dentist.
NHS England said practices having "difficulties should give us three months' notice" but that officials had "no idea" of George House's problems.
The practice said it could not comment on its closure.
A NHS England spokeswoman said the "immediate priority" was to find alternative care for patients in the middle of treatment, while others could register to be put on a NHS dentist waiting list.
Bridget Sampson, director of commissioning for NHS England in the South West, said the closure was a "shock".
"Any practice which comes into difficulties like this should give us three months' notice and should work with us to reassign patients.
"Unfortunately, they have given us two days' notice.
"We had no idea prior to that of a problem."
She added that "any patient who has any dental pain or an urgent problem can receive urgent treatment from Peninsula Community Health".