Bury gets top spot for delivering NHS Health Checks in England

Bury has the highest proportion of eligible people having an NHS Health Check in England.

The latest figures, which focus on cumulative data since April 2016, puts Bury in the top spot out of 151 areas for the number of eligible people having this life-saving check.

NHS Health Checks are free for adults aged 40 to 74 who don’t already have a long-term health condition. They are offered every five years to spot the early signs of developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease or dementia, conditions that we have a higher risk of developing as we get older.

A Health Check involves the patient being asked some questions about their lifestyle and family history, height and weight are measured, blood pressure is checked, and a blood test is taken.

The results include an individual cardiovascular risk being calculated and explained; this is the risk of getting conditions related to the heart or circulation. While the cardiovascular risk levels vary from person to person, everyone is at risk of developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and some types of dementia. At an NHS Health Check advice will be given on how to lower this risk.

Dr Jeffrey Schryer, local GP and chair of NHS Bury Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “NHS Health Checks are free, quick and could really make a difference. The Health Check aims to spot the early signs or increased risk of things like heart disease and stroke, and the personalised results put you in the best place to make some small but significant changes to lower your risk and improve your health and wellbeing.

“In partnership, our GP Practices and Public Health Team at Bury Council have done a brilliant job of making sure that Health Checks are available and accessible to eligible patients. It’s great news that Bury is doing so well in this area, and this is without doubt due to good partnership working and the enthusiasm of local people to get a check and stay well.”

The number of people in Bury eligible for a free health check between 2016 and 2021 was 51,597. Of those, some 33,494 people had the health check, which is 64.9%.

Lesley Jones, Director of Public Health at Bury Council, added: “If you’ve had an invitation for an NHS Health Check from your GP practice, don’t put it off but get booked in. The Health Check is free and can detect potential health problems before they do real damage. A Health Check is a quick and simple way to check up on your overall health; you’ll find out whether you are at a higher risk of getting certain health problems and how you can reduce this risk to stay on top of your health.”

People eligible for a free NHS Health Check will receive a letter, text or email from their GP surgery. Find out more about eligibility and about the Health Check itself at the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-health-check/

ENDS

Press release issued: 3 November 2020.