• Of the 3.4 million invited to attend an NHS Health Checks in 2023, 2.1 million did not take up opportunity
• Number of people missing out increased by almost a third (31%) in 2023 from prior year
• Employers increasingly stepping in to support health of their workforce
Analysis of the latest Office for Health Improvement & Disparities data1from Broadstone, finds 2.1 million people missed out on valuable NHS Health Check in 2023
NHS Health Checks are a free check-up of general health which should be offered by a GP or local council every 5 years to those aged 40-74 with no pre-existing health conditions.
They play a vital role in identifying those at risk of suffering serious health conditions such as heart disease or stroke, and can recommend actions to lower risk such as lifestyle changes or taking medication to lower blood pressure or cholesterol levels.
Quarterly invites to and attendance of NHS Health Checks
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People invited to a health check People receiving a health check
The analysis from Broadstone, a leading independent pensions, investment, employee benefits and insurance consultancy found that 3.4 million adults were invited to attend a Health Check in 2023.
Of these people, only 1.4 million people – just two in five (40%) of those eligible – attended an appointment through the year.
It means that over 2 million did not receive their NHS Check, a rise of half a million (31%) compared to the 1.6 million who failed to attend an appointment in 2022.
Five years ago, in 2018, almost half (47%) of the 2.7 million invitees attended a Health Check and, in 2022, 37% of the 2.5 million invitees attended their check.
On a weekly basis, that’s an average of just over 40,000 people missing out on their NHS Health Check in 2023, compared to the average of 31,000 people missing out each week in 2022.
Emily Jones, Client Consulting Director at Broadstone, said: “Prevention is always better than cure, and NHS Health Checks play a vital role in supporting the health of the nation by identifying and diagnosing potential issues.
“It’s disappointing that so many people aren’t taking up their invite to a Health Check, whether that is due to being time poor, struggles in contacting the local GP practice, a lack of awareness about the benefits of attending or simply worries about what the results might be.”
Data from the Office for National Statistics2 has uncovered the challenges many patients face contacting their GP. A third (33%) of those who tried to a contact their GP practice in the past month, said it was either difficult or very difficult - equivalent to around 8.2 million adults.
Moreover, 88% of the public said the NHS was the most important issue facing the UK, a sentiment that has grown slightly stronger from a month ago (84% in the period 17 to 28 January 2024), and is now of equal concern as the cost of living crisis.
“With GP accessibility dwindling and the NHS waiting list backlog still at record levels, it’s even more critical for people – healthy or otherwise – to keep a close eye on their health,” said Emily Jones.
“Employers are increasingly alleviating the strain on the NHS, with many now offering their own health checks for employees to detect a variety of potential health ‘red flags’ alongside a suite of additional wellbeing services.
“We expect the investment case for targeted and results-driven health and wellbeing programmes to continue to strengthen as the deteriorating NHS creates a growing threat to economic growth, business productivity and staff retention levels.”
1 – Office for Health Improvement & Disparities, NHS Health Checks: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/nhs-health-check-detailed/data#page/1 2 – Office for National Statistics, Public opinions and social trends, 14-25 Feb 2024: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/publico pinionsandsocialtrendsgreatbritain/14to25february2024