NHS Health Check programme

Background

The NHS Health Check programme aims to identify early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and dementia. Adults between the ages of 40 and 74, who do not already have a diagnosis of one of these conditions, are invited for an NHS Health Check once every five years. During the check, risk factors such as physical inactivity, smoking and high blood pressure are assessed, and personalised advice on reducing risk is given.

High uptake of NHS Health Checks is important for the early detection of risk factors and interventions to prevent disease. The percentage of the eligible population who receive an NHS Health Check is measured as an indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework.

Between 2013/14 and 2019/20, the number of NHS Health Checks taken up each year decreased by 12% overall, from around 1.4 million to 1.2 million. As a percentage of the total eligible population, the proportion that were offered an NHS Health Check remained at 18%, while the take up decreased slightly from 9% to 8%. Please note that the NHS Health Check programme aims to cover the eligible population over a five-year period, and so the number offered is expected to be around a fifth of the eligible population.

In 2020/21, during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the number of NHS Health Checks taken up plummeted to 190,710 with only 488,457 offered to the eligible population. Only 1% of the total eligible population took up a health check, and 3% were offered one.