GP practices start offering digital NHS Health Check

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By Daniel Pye

More than 25 GP practices have started offering an online version of the NHS Health Check service.

NHS England’s annual report states the service has launched “across 10 local authorities and more than 25 GP practices”.

The NHS Health Check is usually a 20-30 minute in-person appointment for patients aged between 40 and 74 but those who do not have pre-existing health conditions are eligible to carry out the cardiovascular risk checks from home.

Previously the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)said it planned to complete a phased rollout of the online service with the aim of all local authorities being able to offer the digital check alongside their in-person programme by 2027/28.

A review in 2021 found that while millions of eligible people had assessed their cardiovascular risk since its inception, overall national uptake has never exceeded 50%.

Creating an online version had the potential to engage more people, it concluded.