Services
Heart Risk Testing (NHS Health Check)
Page Contents
Overview
Am I Eligible for an NHS Health Check?
My Test Results and How Can I Improve Them?
The heart risk testing service, otherwise known as the NHS Health Check is a health check-up for adults in England aged 40 to 74 and is designed to spot the early warning signs of a stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes; because the older we get, the higher the risk we have of developing one of these conditions.
Am I Eligible for an NHS Health Check?
This health check is free for those aged 40 to 74, who live in the London Borough of Redbridge and do not have any of the following pre-existing conditions:
- Heart disease
- Chronic kidney disease
- Diabetes
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Atrial fibrillation
- Transient ischaemic attack
- Inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolemia)
- Heart failure
- Stroke
- Currently being prescribed statins to lower cholesterol
- Previous health checks have found that you have a 20% or higher risk of getting cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years.
The easiest way to find out if you are eligible for the NHS health check is to check here. If you are not eligible, but would still like to have a heart risk/health check, this is available as a private service (PDG) at our pharmacy for £35.99.
My Test Results and How Can I Improve Them?
Once you have had your NHS health check/heart risk test, our pharmacist will discuss your results with you and inform you of your cardiovascular risk of developing heart or circulatory problems, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, or kidney disease; over the next 10 years. Our pharmacist may describe such risks as low, moderate, or high:
- Low - You have less than a 10% chance of a heart or circulation problem in the next ten years.
- Moderate - You have a 10% to 20% chance of a heart or circulation problem in the next ten years.
- High - You have more than a 20% chance of a heart or circulation problem in the next ten years.
Based on your results, our pharmacist will also provide information on how to lower your risk. This will include factors such as quitting smoking, improving your fitness, losing weight, eating well, or cutting back on the consumption of alcohol. Alternatively, our pharmacist may refer you to your doctor, so that you can prescribe suitable medication to help lower your risk of a heart event.
Page last reviewed: 26/06/2023
Next review date: 25/06/2025