It is conventional wisdom that primary care for community-dwelling older people needs to shift from vertical, disease-oriented system of care to horizontal, problem-based, person-centred, goal-oriented care, integrating all healthcare providers. Although plausible, there is little evidence that such horizontal care, when embedded into routine practice, is effective in reducing disability and improving function, quality of life or well-being among older people. The negative findings of the ISCOPE trial, published in this issue [1], add to the argument that conventional wisdom may be wrong. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - www.sssft.nhs.uk/library