Frailty: Tackling the crisis

The UK has an ageing population and this is reflected in increasingly higher rates of consultations with GPs; these consultations often relate to complex and interdependent needs. Older people are more likely to be frail, relative to the general population, and the General Medical Service contract aims for a proactive identification of older people with moderate or severe frailty, and then their risk stratification using an evidence-based tool: the electronic frailty index. This article reflects on best practice in the assessment of older people in primary care and what interventions are in place to improve their outcomes.