NHS Health Checks

If you’re aged 40 to 74 and do not have a pre-existing health condition, you can have a free NHS Health Check every 5 years. It can tell you if you are at higher risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease or stroke in the future.

What happens at an NHS Health Check?

You will have two appointments, one with a phlebotomist for your blood tests and another with a healthcare professional who will do the following:

• measure your height and weight
• measure your waist
• a blood pressure test
• ask you questions about your health including smoking, family history, alcohol consumption, physical activity, gender and ethnicity.

Your NHS Health Check results

You will be told your NHS Health Check results during the appointment.

You'll be given your cardiovascular risk score of developing a heart or circulation problem, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes or kidney disease, over the next 10 years.

The healthcare professional may describe this risk score as low, moderate or high.

Everybody's cardiovascular risk rises with age, so the next time you have an NHS Health Check your risk score may be higher, even if your test results are the same.

There are some things about your risk which you cannot change, such as your age, ethnicity and family history. But the most important factors in your risk score (such as smoking, your cholesterol level and blood pressure) can be changed.

Advice

As part of your NHS Health Check, you'll have the chance to discuss your results and how to improve your scores, including where you can get support.

This could include talking about how to:

• improve your diet
• increase the amount of exercise you do
• lose weight
• stop smoking
• reduce the amount of salt in your diet
• reduce your alcohol intake
• reduce your cholesterol

You may also be referred to local services, such as weight management services, to help you make any changes.