The NHS Health Check is a vital free service offered to adults aged 40 to 74 across the UK. It’s designed to detect the early warning signs of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, and dementia—often before symptoms begin. If you are over the age of 40, you are able to request this health check from your GP surgery to identify whether you are at risk of the above conditions.
What Is an NHS Health Check?
This routine check, usually lasting 20–30 minutes, assesses your risk of major health conditions. It includes:
- Blood pressure and cholesterol tests
- Blood sugar (diabetes) screening
- BMI and waist measurements
- Lifestyle and family history review
Based on these results, you receive a risk score and may be offered lifestyle advice or referred for further tests or treatment.
The idea is simple: prevention is better than cure.
How Can Health Checks Help With Heart Disease and Diabetes?
The Health Check is especially crucial for identifying risks related to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Conditions like high blood pressure or prediabetes may show no symptoms but can lead to serious outcomes if left untreated.
By spotting these risks early, the NHS can recommend interventions such as medication, diet changes, or referrals to specialists—potentially preventing strokes, heart attacks, or complications from diabetes.
When to Seak Help
Unfortunately, not every patient receives the level of care they deserve. We have worked with individuals who experienced:
- Delayed diagnosis of serious conditions that could have been identified from blood tests
- Inadequate follow-up after abnormal results were identified
- Miscommunication or poor advice, resulting in deterioration of a manageable condition
- Failure to refer to a specialist when risk indicators were present.
At MDS Solicitors, we investigate whether the NHS or a healthcare professional breached their duty of care, leading to harm that could have been avoided. We have experience in dealing with claims relating to failure to treat stroke or cardiovascular complications, and if you believe that you or a loved one has suffered an avoidable injury then please do not hesitate to contact us.
How We Can Support You
If you feel you’ve been misdiagnosed, ignored, or experienced delays in treatment, we can help you:
- Understand whether your case qualifies as medical negligence
- Gather medical records and evidence
- Instruct expert witnesses
- Pursue compensation to support your recovery or future care needs
Our solicitors at MDS work with sensitivity, discretion, and deep knowledge of both the healthcare and legal systems.
Daniel Fourie, Consultant Paralegal, and Specialist Medical Negligence Consultant Paralegal from MDS states “The NHS Health Check is a vital tool for early diagnosis and can prevent serious conditions such as strokes, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease as well as others. If you or a loved one are over 40 and believe that you are at risk of these conditions, please request the NHS Health Check from your GP surgery which is the first step in identifying your risk and taking appropriate steps.”
Start Your Claim Today
If you or a loved one are concerned that you may have suffered an avoidable injury, get in touch with our team. We’re here to support you every step of the way — from understanding your situation to helping you claim the compensation you need to move forward with confidence.
