The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities data on NHS Health Check offers and uptake between April to June 2024 reveals that millions are still missing out on this valuable service.
 
In the latest quarter (April-June 2024), just 36% of those who were offered to attend an NHS Health Check went. This compares to 44% in the same period of 2019, and 48% in the same period of 2013 – when records began.
 
Despite low take-up, there was an increase in the number of people invited for a check, with almost a million (941,908) invited between April and June 2024, bringing invitation levels to a record 9.27 million.
 
It follows research from leading independent consultancy Broadstone, on the figures for 2023/24, which revealed that of the 3.6 million adults invited to attend a Health Check, only 1.4 million people – just two in five (40%) of those eligible – attended an appointment through the year, leaving more than 2 million eligible adults missing out on their check.
 
Emily Jones, Client Consulting Director at Broadstone, said, “Thanks to the early identification of underlying health risks like high blood pressure, NHS Health Checks are a crucial first line of defence against more serious, chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and liver disease. It can also give people the tools to keep healthy, active and productive by offering advice on how they can make lifestyle adjustments, like dieting or exercise, to help keep chronic conditions at bay.
 
“The disappointing stagnation in uptake in recent years could be due to time constraints, difficulty in contacting or accessing the local GP practice, anxieties around diagnosis or simply a lack of awareness about the long-term health benefits of attendance.
 
“With the government announcing just last week that a digital version of the NHS Health Check is being trialled in early 2025 and that it is considering alleviating the burden of preventable deadly diseases on the NHS via new outdoor smoking rules, it’s clear that prevention is at the top of the Health Secretary’s agenda.
 
“In the meantime, we are increasingly seeing employers protect their bottom line and their employees from the NHS accessibility crisis by offering regular health screenings and access to virtual GP services. This push for preventative, primary care is becoming the focal point of corporate health and wellbeing programmes and as the private healthcare market continues to grow, we expect to see further innovation in this sector.”
 
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/nhs-health-check-quarterly-statistics-april-to-june-2024-offers-and-uptake