In a significant effort to detect diabetes and heart disease early, the NHS will begin distributing health MoTs to workplaces and industries early next month.
Middle-aged professionals, including bus drivers and care workers, will be provided health checks that include blood pressure, BMI, and blood testing for blood sugar and cholesterol.
Health officials believe that by focusing on 130,000 employees at their places of employment, they will be able to reach the most vulnerable and perhaps save thousands of lives annually.
More than 16 million people are eligible for an NHS Health Check, offered by GPs to over-40s every five years.
But only four in ten take up the invite, with lower rates among men, despite their increased chances of heart attack or stroke at an earlier age.
David Hargroves, NHS national clinical director for stroke, said he hoped that taking checks to workplaces such as pubs and restaurants would target those traditionally hard to reach.
He added: ‘Convenient and efficient NHS checks in the workplace could spot thousands of people at risk of a range of cardiovascular diseases, and with high blood pressure the biggest risk factor for stroke, early detection will undoubtedly save lives.’
Almost one in four deaths is down to cardiovascular disease which can lead to heart attack and stroke. Yet experts say around 80 per cent of cases are preventable with lifestyle tweaks and medication.
The £7 million scheme, which will run until March, will see the NHS join forces with local authorities to target big employers, such as Jaguar Land Rover.
The company is offering the checks to 4,500 employees at its base in Solihull, West Midlands.
Healthcare professionals such as nurses will visit patients’ places of employment to do a brief lifestyle assessment, take their blood pressure, and BMI, and complete a basic blood test.
Louise Gittins, chairman of the Local Government Association, said: ‘Health checks can save lives.
‘They can prevent people from developing largely preventable diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and liver disease.’
It coincides with the NHS’s summertime campaign to check for possible cancer symptoms in gym patrons, which will be posted in changing rooms at hundreds of recreation centres.
Stickers reminding people to check themselves regularly are set to feature on mirrors in more than 240 leisure centres run by Better.
I wonder how the already broken NHS will deal with those who are found to have problems. For most people trying to get an appointment with a General Practitioner is like trying to climb Mount Everest, and virtually impossible for the average Joe. This will be another box-ticking exercise I expect, and as always, it’s not been thought through.
I thought that the NHS was stretched to breaking point at the moment, with people not being able to get appointments, but now people are being offered an overhaul, but then again I suppose an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and tackling issues before they become life-threatening saves money in the long run.
Or is this merely a cost-cutting measure since our government just wants to cut the expense of the National Health Service (NHS) and doesn’t give a damn about people’s lifespan or well-being?
Patients are advised to reduce weight by certain obscenely fat nurses. It’s hardly the best appearance, is it? It’s actually rather sad! I would be sitting there, telling her to take her own advice.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 