Patients at an Elgin medical practice due to close at the end of the month will be transferred to a nearby health centre.
The Elgin Community Surgery will shut after Dr Mark Houliston decided to give it up after more than 20 years due to a GP shortage.
Now it has been confirmed the doctor and his staff will also transfer to nearby Maryhill in July.
Hopes new patients will settle in quickly
The Elgin Community Surgery has a register of 4,700 patients.
Maryhill is already one of the largest GP practices in Scotland with more than 18,000 patients registered.
The changes leaves Elgin with just one other medical practice at Linkwood, which has a register of 11,800 patients.
A letter has been sent to all those affected to inform them of the changes.
Dr Robert Lockhart, chairman of the Maryhill Group Practice, said: “We were saddened to hear of events at Elgin Community Surgery and see the outcome achieved as positive for both the patients and wider primary care in Moray.
“We are confident that the patients and staff will settle in quickly and see this as an exciting opportunity to expand on the successful patient care delivered at Maryhill.”
Familiar faces to help patients’ transition
The changes have been confirmed after Health and Social Care Moray ran a tender process for the contract to provide medical services for those on the register.
Claire Power, primary care lead for Health and Social Care Moray, said: “We have worked through the process at pace to ensure that this will be a seamless transition for the patient population at Elgin Community Surgery and have put some transitional arrangements in place to support the transfer.
“The staff team will provide familiar faces at the new practice, and will be essential in supporting the patient transition to the new provider.”