NHS health check

summerspring

Well, I think I am officially old :rotfl:

I've been sent a letter from my GP surgery inviting me to attend a free NHS health check for 40-74 year olds.

Has anyone attended one of these? I was just wondering what to expect, really, or whether to take them up on the offer. (I'm not overweight, or unhealthy!) What sort of questions do they ask you?

t.i.a.

tomtontom

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/nhs-health-check/Pages/NHS-Health-Check.aspx

SailorSam

They'll just take your blood pressure and listen to your heart and things like that.

jcb208

Umm, need to look in to this I have never been offered a health check and am 51,will be usefull

summerspring

jcb208 the letter from my GP surgery says:

These health checks are being offered to people aged between 40 and 74 once every five years.

The check is to assess your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, kidney disease or diabetes. If there are any warning signs then together we can do something about it.

The link above is useful.

I'm unsure whether to go, as I don't really think I need it and it's unclear who actually does these checks or what else they're likely to bring up for discussion. I assume it's just a healthcare assistant. I've also known medical staff to measure my height and weight completely wrong, so in a way it's better for there not to be a height and weight/BMI measurement on my records than a wrong one!

I was just interested in hearing other people's experiences of these NHS checks (good or bad!)

System

I have not been to one but I remember some controversy about these tests in the Press last year

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23765083
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/10253660/NHS-MOT-health-checks-are-useless-experts-claim.html

from the Telegraph link:

The checks - adopted by the NHS in 2009 and intended to move the service toward preventative medicine – is likely to lead to patients taking unnecessary medication and is in “direct conflict” with the best evidence available, researchers from the Nordic Cochrane Centre claim.
They have questioned the validity of the so called "MOT testing" in the past and findings from the same centre led to an NHS review of routine breast screening which concluded for every life saved four women undergo unnecessary surgery.

System

Sitting on the desk behind me is one that was sent to my husband. He intends to book an appointment when he's got some time off work. They never sent me one though, maybe they think they see enough of me as it is.

pollypenny

I read something about this on Sunday. Apart from when a new GP joined the practice, I've never had one.

Make-it-3

Why not take it up - its free after all.

Mine was with one of the Practice Nurses. There is a machine measuring BMI in the waiting room so I just took the results in. Gave some blood for various tests, get your cholesterol checked.

Asked about diet/alcohol consumption/smoking/exercise.

I do imagine that a lot of people who are unfit may not attend to avoid getting a "lecture" and therefore the check is probably catching a lot of the "worried well" but occasionally something relevant is picked up even in this group.

thor

I attended one of these tests a couple of years ago and fortunately my results were very good. Having a low heart rate and blood pressure, combined with healthy blood fat levels led the nurse to conclude that I must eat very well with lots of fresh fruit and vegetable which could not be further from the truth as I like cakes, chocolates and processed food. I did tell her that I run quite a few miles per week though and she just recommended that whatever I was doing, to keep on doing:j