Box 1.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria for patients in this study

Inclusion criteria	Exclusion criteria
Aged ≥55 years Registered at a participating Dorset GP practice Diagnosed with ≥3 of the following long-term conditions, as recorded in the GP record (considered as separate conditions):a Atrial fibrillation Coronary heart disease Heart failure Hypertension Peripheral arterial disease Stroke or transient ischaemic attack Diabetes Asthma Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Depression Chronic kidney disease Epilepsy Osteoporosis Rheumatoid arthritis Parkinson’s disease Multiple sclerosis Inflammatory bowel disease Coeliac disease Osteoarthritis	Resident in a care home In receipt of palliative care Diagnosed with a severe mental health condition (psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) Diagnosed with dementia Known to have active cancer (recorded within the last 3 years) Lacked mental capacity to participate Expressed wish not to participate in research Other reason, rendering a patient unsuitable to participate, at the discretion of a healthcare professional at the GP practice
Additionally: Only one person from a given household was eligible to participate Participating GP practices used the ‘SystmOne’ electronic medical record systemb

^aLong-term conditions numbered 1–14 are Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) conditions; those numbered 15–19 are non-QOF conditions.

^bSystmOne is the electronic GP record system predominantly used in practices throughout Dorset.