NHS health checks

The NHS Health Check is a free check-up of your overall health. It can tell you whether you’re at higher risk of getting certain health problems, such as:

During the check-up you’ll also discuss how to reduce your risk of these conditions and dementia.

If you’re over 65, you will also be told the signs and symptoms of dementia to look out for.

Who is the NHS Health Check for?

The check is for people who are aged 40 to 74 who do not have any of the following pre-existing conditions:

heart disease
chronic kidney disease
diabetes
high blood pressure (hypertension)
atrial fibrillation
transient ischaemic attack
inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia)
heart failure
peripheral arterial disease
stroke
currently being prescribed statins to lower cholesterol
previous checks have found that you have a 20% or higher risk of getting cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years

You should have regular check-ups if you have one of these conditions. Your care team will be able to give you more information about this.

How will the NHS Health Check help me?

You will have your individual cardiovascular risk (risk of getting conditions related to the heart or circulation) calculated and explained to you.

While the cardiovascular risk levels vary from person to person, everyone is at risk of developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and some types of dementia.

At your NHS Health Check you will be given advice on how to prevent them.

Your NHS Health Check can detect potential health problems before they do real damage.

What happens at the NHS Health Check?

An NHS Health Check takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

The health professional – often a nurse or healthcare assistant – will ask you some questions about your lifestyle and family history, measure your height and weight, and take your blood pressure and do a blood test. The blood test will be done either before the check with a blood sample from your arm, or at the check.

Your blood test results can show your chances of getting heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes.

If you’re over 65, you will also be told the signs and symptoms of dementia to look out for.

You will then receive personalised advice to improve your risk. This could include talking about:

how to improve your diet and the amount of physical activity you do
taking medicines to lower your blood pressureor cholesterol
how to lose weight or stop smoking

Find out about the pros and cons of having an NHS Health Check

How can I arrange to have an NHS Health Check?

You’ll be invited for a free NHS Health Check every 5 years if you’re between 40 and 74 years of age and do not already have a pre-existing condition.

If you’re not sure if you’re eligible for an NHS Health Check and would like one, or if you are eligible but have not had an NHS Health Check in the last 5 years, ask us for an appointment.

Do NHS Health Checks work?

The health conditions picked up by the NHS Health Check are, when added together, the biggest cause of preventable deaths in the UK, with around 7 million people affected by them.

In its first 5 years, the NHS Health Check is estimated to have prevented 2,500 heart attacks or strokes. This is the result of people receiving treatment after their Health Check.

The latest research suggests that:

for every 30 to 40 people having an NHS Health Check, 1 person is diagnosed with high blood pressure
for every 80 to 200 people having a Health Check, 1 person is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
for every 6 to 10 people having an NHS Health Check, 1 person is identified as being at high risk of cardiovascular disease

More information

You do not have to wait for an NHS Health Check to learn more about taking care of your health.

You can find information about most health conditions and how to have a healthier lifestyle on the NHS website. For example:

take our online Heart Age testto see your risk of getting heart disease or stroke
find out if you’re a healthy weight using our healthy weight calculator
take the How Are You quizto see how healthy you are

Video: Why have an NHS Health Check?

Watch this video to find out why an NHS Health Check is so important and how it might save your life.

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