Nottinghamshire County Council is helping to prevent heart disease by hosting a series of public engagement events to encourage more people to have an NHS Heart Check-Up – the new local name for the NHS Health Check.

Anyone aged 40-74 without an existing condition in Notts is entitled to an NHS Heart Check-Up, which identifies a patient’s risk of developing heart disease, as well as kidney disease, stroke and diabetes in a simple 30-minute appointment. If increased risk is identified, people can be supported to change their lifestyle to prevent serious long term conditions from developing, helping to improve health of individuals and relieving strain on the health and social care system in the longer run.

The County Council is hosting a series of four roadshows in areas of the county where take up of offers of an NHS Heart Check-Up is low, to explain what the check is for and to assist people to book in for an appointment.

The following events are taking place this March:
• Monday 9 March: Mansfield, Tesco, Jubilee Road South (10am to 5pm)
• Tuesday 10 March: Newark, ASDA, Lombard Street (10am to 5pm)
• Wednesday 18 March: Worksop, ASDA, Victoria Retail Park, (10am to 5pm)
• Thursday 19 March: Southwell Market Place (9am to 4pm)

At the events, by answering a few basic health-related questions, people will be able to find out if they are eligible for a priority NHS Heart Check-Up and, if they are, they will be given an appointment at a specially arranged session run by an NHS pharmacist. Other eligible individuals that cannot attend the session will be encouraged to contact their GP about an NHS Heart Check-up.

In Nottinghamshire heart and circulation-related diseases are the second most common cause of death and of hospital admissions, and account for the greatest difference in length of life between the most and least deprived communities. There could be as many as 20,000 adults in Mansfield & Ashfield who have high blood pressure that has not been diagnosed, with another 16,000 in Bassetlaw and 15,000 in Newark & Sherwood. Last year only 62% of the people in Nottinghamshire invited by their GP to have a health check – which would detect this serious risk – actually took up the offer.

Councillor Glynn Gilfoyle, vice chair of the Public Health committee is attending the event in Worksop and said:
“NHS Heart Check-Ups very much work on the principle that prevention is better than cure, which is something that we are embracing within all of our Public Health work.

“In many cases people can be sitting on a health timebomb, unaware of the risk that they carry of developing a serious debilitating or life threatening condition. For the sake of a short appointment to assess your risk and suggest how you can alleviate it – it’s a really easy choice to make.

“We want to make sure that more people – particularly those that might not always go to their doctor – are aware of what they are entitled to and feel confident in talking to their doctor or pharmacist about it.”

Dr Mark Jefford; GP and clinical lead for NHS Newark and Sherwood clinical commissioning group said:
“Men between 40 and 74 and people in deprived communities may particularly benefit from the NHS Heart Check-Ups because they are typically less likely to act on any health concerns.

“Of course, there are other groups who will not present to their GP even if they are worried – for a whole variety of reasons. Problems relating to the heart are not problems that should be ignored so I welcome the chance identify people who may need to be seen or at least to reassure people about their health.”