Invest in your future with a Health Check

NHS Health Checks are a free, routine
assessment designed to keep your heart healthy. They focus on preventing major causes of illness in Liverpool, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. These conditions are often avoidable and manageable, and a health check can help with that. 


Who is eligible?

You will be invited for a health check if you are aged between 40 and 74 and you do not have a pre-existing heart-related condition.


How will it work?

Those that are eligible, will over the coming months be invited by a GP practice to attend for a Health Check. You may be asked to attend a different practice to the one you are registered with, but it will be local to you.

Prior to the health check, you will be required to have a blood test. This can be taken at numerous venues across the City, at your convenience. The results will then be available for the healthcare professional at the check.

The General Practice undertaking the check will give you all the information you need relating to the blood tests.

The Health Check itself will take about 15 minutes. Cholesterol levels will be measured from the blood sample, your blood pressure and pulse rate will be taken. Height and weight will also be taken to measure your BMI (body mass index). A discussion about family history, smoking status, age and ethnicity and levels of physical activity also forms part of the check as these factors can contribute to your risk.


What happens next?

If you are low-risk, you will be recalled for a similar check after five years.
If you are found to be higher risk, you will be offered follow-up care. There are a range of options available to people to provide this. It may be that simple advice on lifestyle issues is suffice, this will be available at the Health Check and you can discuss this with your healthcare professional at the time. There will also be information that you can take away with you relating to any lifestyle issues that have come up.

Other people may feel that they need more intensive support to make changes to their lifestyle, for those, referral to a health trainer may be a better option. The professional undertaking your check can advise you and help you to access the Health Trainer.
There are also a range of specialist services available to people in the city to support people who wish to make lifestyle changes such as stop smoking services, walk for health, cycle for health and Active City. Again, you can discuss these services at your health check.

For some people, the health check may highlight that they are already suffering from conditions such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. If this is the case, you may be given advice on how to bring these readings down by making lifestyle changes and asked to visit your GP again within an agreed timeframe to repeat the test.

It may be that medication to lower blood pressure or cholesterol is thought to be more appropriate for you and you will be referred to the doctor to have this medication prescribed for you.

Health checks are designed to prevent illness so there is absolutely no need to worry about being called for a check. A few minutes spent now on your own health could add years to your life.

NHS Health Checks are a national programme. They are being introduced locally by Liverpool Primary Care Trust, which plans NHS care for the city.