This publication summarises the key points from the publication 'Improving Health at Local Level : the role of primary care' by Ros Levenson and Lucy Johnson. The fundamental questions about the role of primary care in public health are: how can primary care develop its input into public health while also remaining focused on meeting the health care needs of individual patients and their families, and, how can GPs and others in the primary health care team best be involved in public health in ways that make best use of their individual skills and interests? This paper is based on a discussion paper prepared for a King's Fund symposium 'Primary Care and Public Health' held in November 1999.