The government has announced its intention to roll out a new digital health check by next spring to tackle cardiovascular disease in a move that could free up tens of thousands of NHS appointments.
The current iteration of the NHS health check is conducted face-to-face, delivered primarily through GP surgeries for adults aged 40 to 74.
Each year sees approximately 1.3 million of these checks made, consequently identifying 315,000 people living with obesity, 33,000 hypertension cases, and preventing more than 400 heart attacks and strokes.
The government’s vision is to operate the new digital check in conjunction with the existing in-person one; the expectation is this will account for an extra one million checks over four years.
This will results in an additional 200,000 people being identified who could benefit from statins, 30,000 cases of high blood pressure and a further 400 heart attacks and strokes being avoided, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
The new check is also expected to save around 20 minutes of health service time, which could amount to tens of thousands of freed up appointments in primary care.
“This could play an important role in helping people live healthier for longer and saving lives in the coming years, while reducing pressure on the NHS,” said the British Heart Foundation’s medical director, Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, on the news.
The check will be accessible via phone, tablet or computer and will task patients with completing questionnaires, entering their height, weight and blood pressure measurements.
The idea behind the digital health check can be traced back to the recommendations made in Professor John Deanfield’s 2021 review on health checks.
Also reacting to the news, NHS Providers' director of policy and strategy, Miriam Deakin, said: “The new digital health check could help many patients identify risks to their health, reducing illness that could lead to heart attacks and strokes. As well as save lives, this would significantly ease pressure on the NHS by preventing hospital admissions.
"However, individual initiatives this like are not enough and we also know that not everyone can access digital support. The government needs a much more strategic approach to properly fund trusts to advance their own digital priorities – such as bolstering IT infrastructure and implementing electronic patient records – and invest in frontline staff."
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