To ask the Scottish Executive how patients will benefit from the implementation of the new out-of-hours proposals in the NHS. The new out-of-hours services must meet new mandatory accreditation standards drawn up by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to ensure delivery of a safe, qualityservice.NHS boards envisage an integrated, multi-professional team-based approach to ensure that patients will receive an appropriate service responsive to their individual needs.These arrangements will also benefit patients by relieving GPs of the burden of continuous out-of-hours responsibility, enabling them to provide a better service overall for their patients.