The role of general practice in reducing unplanned hospital admissions

Rising unplanned admissions are a key issue facing the NHS. In this article we investigate what is currently being done within primary care to reduce these, and what more could be done in the future. In particular, we highlight the scope for improvements and the current initiatives aiming to achieve this. We explore which practice characteristics are most important in reducing admissions, and how these might be emphasised in the future. Finally, we summarise research exploring the effectiveness of admission avoidance interventions, and highlight areas where current policy appears to be misaligned with evidence.