This report presents results from the most recent 10 years (April 1999 to March 2008) of the BEACH program, a national cross-sectional study of general practice activity. During this time 9,901 GPs provided details of almost 1 million GP-patient encounters. Readers can review changes that have occurred over the decade in the characteristics of general practitioners and the patients they see; the problems managed and the treatments provided. Changes in patients' body mass index, smoking status and alcohol use are described for a subsample of adult patients.