Under new contracts, GPs will have the right to opt out of working nights and weekends and it won't be up to them to find cover. It will be the responsibility of local health authorities.

The Commons Health Committee is concerned that the scheme could prove too costly and that the NHS will struggle to cope.

Around 90% of GPs will choose to opt out according to the British Medical Association.

Are you concerned about the changes? Will the NHS cope? Would you prefer to see your own Doctor GP out of hours?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

Wouldn't it be nice if we, the patients, could choose to opt out of getting sick out of designated hours! To those who say that GP service in this country is better than abroad - no it is not! On a personal note, I worked in Russia for several years, and GP house calls to people with even such routine things as flu are all part of everyday life. And somehow I don't think that Russian GPs are better paid or any less human than those in the UK. Why should I have to use my hard-earned holiday days to see a GP during my working hours, in case I inconvenience them otherwise? The standard of GP service in this country is a disgrace and yet we are being made to feel guilty about using it as though we are being done an immense favour.
Sebastian, London, UK

I want my doctor to work civilised hours Ian, Esse

If it is costly who cares? I want my doctor to work civilised hours so not to make a mistake. Perhaps we should pay more tax so we can have more doctors like in mainland Europe!
Ian, Essex

New GP hours are not too costly they merely reflect a more accurate rate for the work involved. Out of hours care has for too long been bought on the cheap, effectively being subsidised by GPs themselves.
B Morgan, England

To the people who expect your GP to be on call 24 hours what will you do when they have all collapsed from exhaustion? Give them a break, they are only human not robots.
E Sloan, England

Costly it may be (why are we so obsessed with the bottom line in this country?) but I would rather be treated by someone who is completely with it than someone who hasn't slept for 29 hours. I wouldn't want to share road space with a driver who had been up that long without sleep, so why should I want someone that tired prescribing drugs or sticking needles in me?
David Hazel, Fareham, UK

GPs are opting out for a reason Nicola, Glasgow

People in the UK already have a GP service far beyond what people abroad would expect. House calls that are expected as a matter of routine here would be laughed at elsewhere. GPs are opting out for a reason - they are sick of the ever growing list of demands being placed on them. They are human too.
Nicola, Glasgow

I'm a policeman can I opt out of doing nights and weekends please, as I get no extra payment for doing them?
Ian, Chesterfield Derbyshire

Cut them a little slack, for pity's sake! These are the people we turn to when we're feeling ill, right? Anyone who either is a doctor or works with one will know how stressful the job actually is. Before I allow another individual to pump my body with chemicals or send me for a surgical procedure, I'd sooner know that person was fully rested and up to the job!
Patrick V. Staton, Guildford.

From September all the GP surgeries in my area will be closed on a Saturday. At present these clinics are used only for emergencies. I can see that although people are encouraged to use the PCT emergency doctor services that A&E departments in the area are going to be inundated with patients suffering from minor ailments that their GP would normally treat. In the long run, for the NHS, I can't see the new contract being a cheaper alternative to paying GPs to work out of normal hours.
Kathryn, UK

Of course I'd rather see my GP out of hours but when they keep the same kind of hours as most office-based workers they have an automatic filtering system to weed out the less serious visits. If it's not serious enough to take time out of work then it isn't serious enough to waste the GP's time.
John B, UK

GPs should not be allowed to opt out Helen, London

Surely when an individual decides to become a doctor they are aware that long working hours, being on-call and working nights go with the territory. GPs should not be allowed to opt out; they understood what they were taking on when they chose their career.
Helen, London

Anyone with any sense would opt out working nights and weekends, but haven't there always been cases where night and weekend working is essential? Shall we see in the end hospitals working 9am till 5pm or no fires put out after 6pm, no murders investigated from 6pm Friday till 9am Monday. These careers have always been taken on with full knowledge of unsocial working hours, but I do agree that dedication calls for better pay and longer holidays
Pat, Sussex

It is difficult enough trying to get an appointment in my area to see a doctor in hours let alone out of hours. All that will happen is that no one will be on call, and the Emergency departments at the hospitals will overflow with illnesses that a doctor would have previously dealt with. Either that or the number of 999 calls to the ambulance service will increase as there is no doctor available.
Helen W, Lincolnshire, UK