Falls in older people are a major cause of hospital admissions. Primary healthcare professionals play an important role in preventing falls, although they experience barriers to achieving this. The aim of this qualitative study was to identify what a sample of primary healthcare professionals in the UK city of Birmingham perceived as barriers to and aids to preventing falls. Analysis of the results identified several major themes in two categories: challenges and opportunities. Challenges included lack of integration between primary and secondary care, poor awareness of services and complex referral pathways. Opportunities included recognition of falls as a priority, risk stratification and improvement of the health of older people.