Home visits by GPs, or ‘house calls’ as they were known, made up a large proportion of medical consultations until the 1960s, largely because of accessibility issues and slow transport options. Home visits now form a vastly smaller percentage of general practice workload reflecting, for example, increases in demand and a shortage of GPs. Many GPs now believe home visits should not be part of core contract work. Others fear such a change would communicate a lack of concern for the housebound. Such ambivalence is reflected in the GP training curriculum where home visits are no longer mandated, yet are simultaneously an expected competency for trainees. This article guides the trainee on how to complete a comprehensive home visit to illustrate the advantages they may offer. The latter part will explore further the differing opinions on home visits and proposals to address some of the dilemmas.