NHS checks attendance lower than expected

The NHS Health Check was launched in 2009 to facilitate early diagnosis of dementia, diabetes, stroke, kidney disease and heart disease. Since that time it has prevented 2,500 heart attacks and strokes and gone some way towards tackling health inequalities. However, a review funded by Public Health England and published in the British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) has found that only 45.6% of eligible patients have received a health check in the last five years, well under the Department of Health’s 75% target.

Those most likely to take part are over 60 years, have a family history of coronary heart disease, live in the most deprived areas and therefore are at greatest risk of ill health. 48.2% of those invited to a health check attended. Between 18% and 63% had a high risk of cardiovascular disease and were offered treatment to lower their risk. The government target was 85%.

Dr Richard Vautrey, chair of BMA GPC said the results “echo what we repeatedly said at the time the NHS health check was introduced. Most people don’t want or need a health check so the uptake is in line with what would be expected. It would be far better to target this important but limited resource to a greater extent than is currently the case.”

Lead researcher Dr Adam Martin, Research Fellow at the Leeds Institute of Health Sciences said the evidence “refutes the argument that the programme is only attracting the ‘worried well’,” as “people who are more at risk of experiencing ill health are engaging with the programme. Furthermore, whilst the evidence remains limited, the NHS Health Check appears to improve rates of disease detection for what seems like a reasonable cost. However, a question remains about whether there are sufficient resources in general practice to ensure that everyone who would like to benefit from the scheme is able to do so.”