What is included in a NHS health check?

What is included in a NHS health check?

What is a NHS health check?

You can have an NHS Health Check if you’re aged 40 to 74 years and you have not had a stroke, or do not already have a pre-existing health condition. You should be automatically invited.

If you are not invited and fit the criteria, ask your GP surgery if they offer this service. Some pharmacies offer the service too, so you could also check with your local branch.

So. What happens at a NHS health check?

An NHS Health Check takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

The health professional – often a nurse or healthcare assistant – will ask you some questions about your lifestyle and family history, measure your height and weight, and take your blood pressure and do a blood test.

Your blood test results can show your chances of getting heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes.

If you’re over 65, you will also be told the signs and symptoms of dementia to look out for.

Yearly check-ups

If you are over 40 years, it is a good idea to have a yearly check-up anyway, to monitor blood pressure and include routine blood tests for kidney function, glucose (to check for signs of diabetes) and cholesterol. Again, you may be able to do this via your GP or pharmacist.

Summary

We have described what is included in a NHS health check. We hope it has been helpful.

Other resource

There is more information NHS health checks on the NHS website.

Last Reviewed on 7 March 2024