Summary: This page describes how NHS Health Checks are performed at the practice.
Who’s it for: All Clinical Staff
What is an NHS Health Check? Pre-existing conditions not eligible for NHS health check
A free check-up of a patients’ overall health, which includes assessing their risk of health problems (e.g., diabetes, kidney disease, stroke). The check is offered to patients aged 40-74, with NO pre-existing conditions.
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The Appointment
1️⃣ Contact the patient
Reception
- NHS England contact eligible patients for an NHS Health Check every five years. Alternatively, we can use Hippo Labs to contact suitable patients.
- Book a morning F2F appointment with a Practice Nurse or HCA
Log into app.hippolabs.co.uk to find patient lists (see ‣ for more information).
Explain what the appointment is for, and advise them that they’ll have a blood test on the day
Always check if the patient requires an interpreter (book double appointment if they do), if there’s anything else pending in the pink QOF box that we can address while we’re speaking with the patient, and that their contact details are correct
2️⃣ Carry out health check
Practice Nurse or HCA
- Open the clinical template ‘NHS Health Check (Ardens)’ on EMIS
- Capture data on height, weight, blood pressure, smoking status, alcohol status and physical activity
- Draw bloods (for HbA1c, non-fasting lipid profile), and complete the template
- Provide lifestyle advice and make appropriate referrals as below
- If appropriate, complete a frailty assessment using the Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale
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Advise the patient what will happen next once results have been checked
3️⃣ Check & triage results
Lab Reports Team
- Review pathology results, and action as per the Lab Reports (Path Links) page.
- If all results are normal, the patient will be contacted again in 5 years for another check (normal HbA1c is 20-41).
- As per HbA1c and Glucose and/or Lipid Results pages, if a result is abnormal, it may need to be confirmed via a second cycle of blood tests (this is only applicable if result is 48 or over, 42-47 indicates pre-diabetes).
- After confirmation, potential follow-up appointments required could include a:
- Nurse appointment, for new pre-diabetes diagnosis
- GP appointment, for new diabetes diagnosis
- Pharmacist appointment, for statin medication initiation
- Calculate QRISK as per our page.
If any of these follow-ups are required, progress to step four and follow the steps under the appropriate clinician.
4️⃣ Follow-up appointment
Pharmacist
- For QRISK>10, discuss statin initiation as per NICE guidelines and the ‘Hyperlipidaemia (v17.9) (Ardens)’ clinical template on EMIS.
GP
- For newly diabetic patients, discuss with the patient and treat as described in step 5 of our Diabetes page
- For all newly diagnosed diabetic patients, provide lifestyle advice and encourage signing up to Diabetes Book & Learn
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Resources: