The future of a closure-threatened north-east health centre will be the focus of a public consultation later this month.
Bosses at Deveron Medical Practice in Banff announced the surgery will end its contract with NHS Grampian after a recruitment drive for a new GP failed.
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The Fife Street facility has around 6,300 patients and it will hand back its contract to the health board in April.
Officials at Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) moved to urge people not to register elsewhere in the meantime.
A public event to discuss the future of the practice will take place in the Moray Firth coastal community later this month.
The gathering will be held at the Harvest Centre, Castle Street between 3pm and 7pm on November 21.
AHSCP is holding the drop-in information session and is encouraging patients to go along and ask their team questions.
A statement from the partnership said it was trying to keep disruption for patients to a minimum.
It said: “The AHSCP appreciate that this is a challenging and unsettling time for patients, but we would like to reassure all patients, that along with the practice, we are making every effort to ensure that any changes take place with minimal disruption.”
Health chiefs announced that Deveron Medical Practice would be handing back its contract to NHS Grampian at the end of October.
The move inspired one patient, Glen Hunter, to launch his own bid to save the centre he regularly attends for complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) treatment.
His online petition urging the Scottish Government to save the practice has so far attracted more than 1,700 signatures.
Mr Hunter said: “I suffer from CPTSD and since moving here four years ago I have found the local practice to be incredibly helpful.
“When I saw the news article about it being in danger I felt the least I could do was to start an online petition.
“I hope that we don’t lose the practice. It’s vital to the community.”