Tower Hamlets has one of the highest up-take rates of NHS Health Checks in London and England, according to new figures by Public Health England (PHE) published today.
More than 27,000 people in the borough had their free check over the last five years and more than 8,500 in the last 18 months.
Tower Hamlets has one of the highest up-take rates of NHS Health Checks in London and England, according to new figures by Public Health England (PHE) published today.
More than 27,000 people in the borough had their free check over the last five years and more than 8,500 in the last 18 months.
Sir Sam Everington, GP and chair of NHS Tower Hamlets clinical commissioning group (CCG), said: “Together with the council we are committed to making sure that everyone has access to the support that they need to stay fit and healthy. That’s why we’re urging people who receive an invite to attend their free health check.
“Because prevention is better than cure wherever possible patients will be given the support and guidance to avoid or delay the development of these conditions,” he said.
Overall in the last three months 2.7% of people who are eligible in England (adults aged 40-74 without a pre-existing condition) received a health check, with just over half (56.3%) having a health check when offered, resulting in 15,449,660 checks.
In London, on average, 5.9% of eligible people were offered health checks, and 58.5% of those offered took up the checks, resulting in a total of 67,875 checks in the capital.
Responding to the data, Louise Ansari, Diabetes UK Director of Prevention of Type 2 diabetes, said: “Though more people are now being offered and taking up NHS Health Checks, data published today announcing national uptake to be 49 per cent, highlights the need for more to be done as we are falling considerably short of the target, set by Public Health England, of achieving 66 per cent uptake of checks offered to those eligible by March 2015.
“This in turn is having a detrimental impact on progress being made towards achieving the overall target of at least 75 per cent uptake for health checks over a five year period (up to March 2018),” she said.
