Health: Screening
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his department has to assess the effectiveness of NHS health checks to ensure a) they are targeted at the right patients and b) checking for the correct conditions.
Answered by Mrs Sharon Hodgson
The NHS Health Check is designed to assess the top risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and refer people to further support through behavioural interventions, for example weight management, clinical assessment, and treatment where appropriate.
Programme guidance encourages commissioners and their providers to adopt a proportionate universalist approach, to ensure that checks are delivered in a way that prioritises resources and effort towards engaging people at higher risk of CVD.
A 2021 review found that the NHS Health Check programme had largely achieved its aims, reaching two in five eligible people, including those at higher risk of CVD, and delivering better outcomes for attendees.
In response to the review recommendations, the Department has prioritised improving access to and uptake of the programme through the ongoing development of the NHS Health Check Online and the piloting of CVD checks in workplace settings during 2025.
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