'Middle-aged MOTs!' Britons face being weighed at work as NHS roll out new measures
The initiative is aimed at helping to avoid health problems
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Britons face being weighed at work as part of a new drive to detect heart disease and diabetes early, the NHS has said.
Middle-aged workers, including bus drivers and care workers, will undergo blood and BMI tests for cholesterol and blood sugar readings.
Health chiefs believe the scheme targeting 130,000 people will reach those at a high risk, potentially saving thousands of lives a year.
More than 16 million people are eligible for an NHS Health Check. The check is currently offered by GPs to over-40s every five years, however only four in 10 take up the invite, with lower rates among men.
The initiative is aimed at helping to avoid health problems
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NHS national clinical director for strokes David Hargroves, said he hoped that taking checks to workplaces such as pubs and restaurants would target those traditionally hard to reach.
He told the Daily Mail: "Convenient and efficient NHS checks in the workplace could spot thousands of people at risk of a range of cardiovascular diseases, and with high blood pressure the biggest risk factor for stroke, early detection will undoubtedly save lives."
Almost one in four deaths are down to cardiovascular disease which can lead to heart attack and stroke. However, experts say around 80 per cent of cases are preventable with lifestyle tweaks and medication.
Chair of the Local Government Association Louise Gittins said: "Health checks can save lives. They can prevent people from developing largely preventable diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and liver disease."
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Almost one in four deaths are down to cardiovascular disease
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She continued: "Councils are exploring new ways to boost uptake, targeting individuals or communities at increased risk, and using proactive outreach programmes to get into those communities who are less likely to attend their general practice.
"However, there is more that can be done, and by partnering with councils and employers, we can make sure more people get a health check and hopefully prevent illness later on."
The NHS Health Check programme was introduced in 2009 and is offered to people between the ages of 40 and 79 every five years. The Government has also announced plans for a digital version of the check, which will be available on the NHS app.
The platform will allow people to provide information from their home, with the results automatically written back into their GP electronic health record.
Testing of the digital programme will take place in 2025, and councils in Norfolk, Medway and Lambeth, London, signed up for the trial.
It is estimated the digital initiative will deliver one million checks in its first four years, with plans under way to roll it out nationally alongside face-to-face checks.