Free NHS health checks are being offered by council-funded ‘Healthy You’ to Fenland residents

A free health check is being offered to residents after an NHS study revealed health issues with the older demographic.

High cholesterol, early signs of stroke, heart disease and dementia are among various health issues that the free check by council-funded service ‘Healthy You’ will look for in Fenland residents.

The plans come after an NHS-backed study which showed 67% of those aged 50 and over have high cholesterol, which has been blamed on society’s newfound reliance on food delivery apps and processed goods.

Taking around 20-30 minutes, the service will be held in various locations and involves a health professional asking questions, conducting some tests and measuring blood pressure, height, weight, BMI, cholesterol and HbA1C levels (which can identify diabetes).

Jennifer Seymour, operations manager for Healthy You, said: “An NHS Health Check is a great tool to help us understand our health and gain knowledge about what changes we may need to make to improve our health and wellbeing.

“People who have had Health Checks with us have found them very useful and have allowed them to be referred to our other free healthy lifestyle services like smoking cessation.”

Depending on the results, support can be provided as well as advice on improving health – Healthy You has a range of free healthy lifestyle services such as smoking cessation and weight management, which can be looked into after the health check.

To be eligible for an NHS Health Check, you must be aged between 40-74 and haven’t had an NHS Health Check in the last five years.

Booking can be done by texting ‘HEALTHYU’ to 60777 or calling 0333 005 0093.