Reference/Features

Providing NHS health checks in the dental practice

5 mins read Systemic diseases
NHS Health Checks have been introduced across England so disease can be prevented and detected at an early stage. Plans to make them more widely available could lead to them being carried out by dental nurses

The NHS Health Check programme was introduced in England in 2009 by the Department of Health. It focuses on the main causes of preventable early death including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease and some forms of dementia (Department of Health (DH), 2013a).

It is estimated that the programme could prevent 650 premature deaths, 4 000 new cases of diabetes and 1 600 heart attacks and strokes each year. In addition, 20 000 cases of diabetes or kidney disease could be detected earlier, enabling management and prevention of later complications (DH, 2013a).

In the next five years, the government plans to increase the availability and accessibility of the programme, offering health checks to all eligible people aged 40–74 at convenient locations (DH, 2008a).

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