NHS Health Check
What is a Health Check?
NHS Health Check aims to help you lower your risk of four common but often preventable diseases: heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. It’s for adults in England aged between 40 and 74 who have not already been diagnosed with any one of those four conditions.
We have started to contact those patients that are eligible to invite them in for a health check. At the check your risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes will be assessed, and you’ll be offered personalised advice and support to help you lower that risk.
How will a NHS Health Check help?
Everyone can be at risk of developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes or kidney disease in the future. But by identifying that risk early, and taking steps to reduce that risk, you can improve your chances of maintaining or improving your health as you get older.
The NHS Health Check will show you your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes or kidney disease. You’ll find out exactly what you have to do to reduce your risk which could mean lifestyle changes such as eating a healthier diet, cutting down on alcohol, or increasing the amount of physical activity you do.
There are some risk factors for these four diseases that can’t be changed. For example, your risk increases with age. But there is a lot you can do to reduce your risk. You can:
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Be physically active.
- Eat a healthy and balanced diet.
- Don’t smoke.
If you’re at higher risk, those changes may be combined with medical treatments, such as medicines to lower raised blood pressure or cholesterol. You may be offered NHS support to help you stop smoking or lose weight.
These changes can help you to improve your health, and prevent a disease that may otherwise have developed. NHS Health Check is expected to prevent 1,600 heart attacks and strokes a year and save 650 lives.