Abstract
An acute general hospital of 68 beds at Tamworth, a Midland town of 50,000 people, is staffed by general practitioners for both inpatient and casualty work. During the period 1967-8 there were 889 general practitioner admissions to the hospital for intermediate surgical and medical care, the average length of stay being 6·3 days and the average cost per case £44·3. Of these patients 96 were transferred to other hospitals. The patients, doctors, and standard of medical care have benefited from this kind of service. A “satellite” hospital of this type therefore has an important role in the community for carefully selected types of cases.