Dear Kate

I find your description of people who see GPs in the day offensive. The majority of the people I see in the day are elderly frail patients who certainly would not want to travel in the dark on public transport at 9 o clock at night. Most people we see in practice are the young and the old, they have the highest healthcare needs. People in employment are usually fit and healthy and are effectively paying into the NHS in preparation for when they need it in later life. GPs are prepared to open longer but we can't do this without funding to pay for the extra reception staff hours etc. What workers must also consider is that while you may be able to see your GP after 6.30pm we will not be able to do bloods, get an xray and you will have to see a consultant in office hours - so why is the government only targeting GPs?

Kate please think of your elderly relatives because if the government forces this through we may have to cut services for them to fund your convenience.

Lisa, Cardiff,

The BMA HAS NOT BACKED DOWN - it has just stated the obvious - that accepting the government's offer is less awful than rejecting it and then have it imposed on us with worse terms.

There is no extra money for these extra hours, there is talk of £150 million but this is being taken out of other areas of the contract although we have been told we must carry on doing that work as well.

The BMA has again been outflanked by the slicker government spin doctors .The same process of running down the contract while trumpeting increased investment was used to ruin the NHS dental service. Dentists had little option but to go private to care for their patients properly. I fear this is what will happen to NHS GP as well. The worryingly clever part is that "fat cat, greedy GP's" will be vilified not government ministers when we end up with a two tier system. I am not keen on turning my back on the neediest members of society but I may not be able to afford to work for the NHS much longer.

Dr Worried, Dover, KENT

More important than being able to see our GP outside normal working hours is the ability to book an appointment 24 hours in advance so that we, like them, can organise our arrangements for tomorrow.

Brian Christley, Abergele, UK

Seems straighforward on the face of it - however GP aren't working longer hours - surgery will merely be open longer - so if a GP is doing an evening shift he wont be doing , say a morning shift.
So the 'worried well' will get there appointments after work whareas the eldery , chronically ill will be fighting for fewer appointments during the day.

Steve, peterborough,

The Patient Participation Group at my doctors surgery surveyed well over a quarter of the patients in the practise and when asked if they were happy with the opening hours it was a clean sweep in favour of existing hours. but what patients were more worried about was the practise of some PCT lead surgeries haveing to go out to tender and the unfairness of the tendering process against the existing doctors aquireing the surgeries. Our surgery is currently in the tendering process and we could see multi national / enterpranurial GP's taking over. and losing continuity with the GP's we know and respect
instead of creating more GP's in these areas they are in danger of losing good GP's

Pamela Edwards Tattersall, Leigh, england

GPs will get the chance to vote on the proposed extended hours imposition later this month, when I suspect your headline will be quite different. 528 of my patients were questioned in the government's expensive access survey. Nine wanted Saturday opening, yet I am expected to open each Saturday from 8.0am to 10.30am. I know from many years experience that in most of this time I will not be seeing patients. Don't forget that emergency cover will continue to be provided by the existing service, and much of the routine work will have to be brought back for tests on Monday anyway.

Sad to see so many people being taken in by government spin. Of course we opted out of round the clock care, (though not out of hours care). It only cost us £6000 because that's all we were paid, less than £1 /hr. Who wouldn't have done? Answers only from those who have worked 168 hr weeks and regularly slept at their place of work.

Mark Horner, Felton, Northumberland

As as GP I consult face to face for 6h every day (3h am surgery, 2.5h pm surgery and there is NEVER a day without 3 - 4 extras). This is exhausting because it is relentless, I always have to be on the ball for all of that time (unlike other jobs such as in IT I have held where you CAN stop for 10 mins. Add to this the home visits, the paperwork that I generate, and the paperwork I receive, results, etc. And I earn nowhere near 100k per year.

Frankly I`m not capable of safely working longer hours. I arrive at 8am and tend to leave at 7pm (last patient is booked at 6.30pm). Obviously, I never leave "on time".

The govt is not allowing surgeries to "juggle" hours - it wants extra time (and since receptionists etc rightly want overtime, it will be a pay cut for partners).

This is not a whinge or a rant, this is how it is. Many of you will say "many would love to have your job and leave if you don't like it". I agree with you. I quit. Good luck with Supermarket GP.

AnonGP, London,

To clarify my ealier comment, I do not contend that GPs should work longer hours, but the hours should most certainly be set around th hours that most be people work - a GP is a service provider; it is ridiculous that that service should only be provided within office hours.

Kate, Liverpool ,

Dear Kate of Liverpool,
You may regret your comments when the government's plans eventually come to fruition and you realise that you can't even afford to see your own G.P. as the surgery will by then have been privatised, or, if you can afford it, you won't actually have a personal GP, as by then only POLICLINICS will exist where your health experience will be akin to popping into Sainsbury's for a pint of milk and the daily shopping (Don't forget 30 million Americans who can't even afford to walk into their A&Es , let alone G.P. surgeries! we do have it pretty nicely tied down on this isle). I'm a GP trainee and all of this is forecast but isn't what any thinking medical professional considers to be in the interests of patients. So, grateful populace, please be a little kinder before throwing judgement so swiftly.

Chendu, London,

With respect, this is far from over. GPs have not yet been ballotted on what they want to do. All that has happened today is that the GPC has opined that the "voluntary" option is not as bad as the one that the Government will impose if GPs don't make Hobson's Choice.

A Government that announces that GPs have capitulated to its bullying may yet find that they will resist.

Michael Leuty, Nottingham,

The BMA like the National Union of Mineworkers is a Trade Union. Buckman screwed up like "Red Arthur S" ,The public wanted longer opening hours and looked upon the doctors as being greedy after getting huge increases in salary.Brown like Thatcher has won the day.Compared with Sarkozy in France who caves in to the Unions every day.Iron Fist Gordon has had a good week for a change.

Bill Rees, Truro, Cornwall

Surgeries should be open to fit around the working lives of most people, not the malingerers who mostly populate GP surgeries between 9 and 5. GP's would do well to remember how their vast wages are funded - by people who work, and therefore are unable to utilise their services while they are open! Same goes for libraries, swimming baths and virtually eveything that I pay for but am unable to access! 'Public don't want longer opening hours'? Ha!!

Kate, Liverpool ,