How this fits in

In November 2019, GPs in England voted to reduce home visits as part of their core contractual activities. However, the impact of this decision on both patient care and the wider workforce remains unclear. This realist review presents a number of causal explanations for why, whom, and when home visit delegation may or may not be useful to, and for, general practice. Findings suggest that a GP may feel that delegation is suitable if they have previously established a degree of professional trust with the healthcare professional (HCP) doing the home visit. This trust will facilitate the appropriate and safe sharing of information and follow-up deemed relevant to a particular case. GPs supporting home visit delegation should be mindful that this may not, in the long run, reduce their workload. This may be particularly pertinent if the patient has complex needs or if the HCP requires extensive input from the GP. However, the impact on patient health (and long-term outcomes) remains less clear.