Health checks

If you are aged 40 – 74 and you could be eligible for a free  NHS Health Check. With age our risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, stroke and certain types of dementia increases - but these conditions can often be prevented. The  NHS Health Check is usually available in doctor surgeries.

The average health check takes around 20minutes and is a combination of tests and questions. You may have it divided into two parts where you give a sample of blood/urine in the first part and come back a second time to discuss your results. Your weight, height and blood pressure will be taken, and you are usually asked whether you smoke, how much your drink and how much physical activity you do.  You will also be asked about your family history.

At the end of your  NHS Health Check, you'll have the chance to discuss your results and how to improve your scores, including where you can get support.

This could include talking about how to:

• improve your diet.
• increase the amount of exercise you do.
• lose weight.
• stop smoking.
• reduce the amount of salt in your diet.
• reduce your alcohol intake.
• reduce your cholesterol.

Results will be broken down into different scores which indicate your risk of developing certain conditions – such as diabetes – you will then have a discussion on how improvements can be made and be signposted to services should you require support.

See more about NHS Health Checks.

Page last reviewed: 30 August 2024