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Home > Our Free Services > NHS Health Checks > Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

NHS Health Checks

The logo for the Frequently Asked Questions service.

OneLife Suffolk is packed with guidance and advice on how to live healthier, but here we also give answers to some often asked questions (let us know if there is a question you would like the answer to that isn’t listed here).

Do I need to fast?

No, you can continue to eat as normal before your health check. However please avoid any alcohol before your appointment and avoid an excessive amount of alcohol.

How can I improve my results?

There are many ways to “improve” your test results from a health check depending on what has been found from that health check.

Losing weight – reducing your BMI can help with many red flags that may come up in a health check, not only will reducing your weight help your joints it will also reduce the stress on your heart and reduce your blood pressure. Please see our FREE weight support groups that can help you with this:

Reducing blood pressure – cutting down on salt (to 6g a day) and caffeine

losing weight and becoming more active

reducing alcohol intake

Your cholesterol-  If your cholesterol test shows results outside the healthy range, your health professional will provide advice to help lower your cholesterol through dietary changes. You may also want to contact your GP about available medications for this issue.

Your physical activity score –

As part of your health check you will be given a physical activity score. There is a increasing amount of evidence to suggest that increasing your physical activity levels can reduce your chance of developing conditions such as high blood pressure and even dementia!

It is recommended that everyone should do at least 150 min of physical activity per week. This dose not have to be in one go! This can be spaced out through a week, please see the following link for suggestions of what to do: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/

Cutting back on drinking: Men and women are not advised to drink more than 14 units a week. Which is roughly equivalent to 6 pints of beer, or 6 glasses of wine. For more information about how to cut down please see the Drink aware website: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/ or if you are looking for support with alcohol why not visit: https://www.turning-point.co.uk/  

Quitting smoking –  one thing that may have come up during your health check is smoking. We are here to support you to quit via a one to one consultation with a consultant or via groups.

I had an NHS Health Check last year – why can’t I have another one?

The NHS Health Check is a rolling five-year programme which has been set up to offer eligible adults a FREE NHS Health Check every five years. At your last health check,  your healthcare provider will have discussed your results with you and give you information and advice to stay healthy.

In the meantime, if you are interested in improving your results and monitoring your health take the, How Are You quiz and start now with these health apps and trackers. If you’re concerned about your health, don’t wait until your next NHS Health Check to do something about it – go to your GP as you would normally.

Can I get an NHS Health Check at my workplace?

Onelife Suffolk Workplace offer please contact Jenifer Scrivener jenifer.scrivener@onelifesuffolk.co.uk

Why are people over the age of 75 excluded from the programme?

The NHS Health Check is available to individuals between 40 and 74 years of age without the existing cardiovascular disease. Individuals over the age of 75 have a named accountable GP. One of the responsibilities of the accountable GP is to provide a health check on request where an examination hasn’t been performed in the preceding 12 months.

What is an NHS Health Check?

The NHS Health Check is a free check-up taking about 30 minutes. It can tell you whether you’re at higher risk of getting certain long-term medical conditions, such as:

  • Heart disease
  • Diabetes
  • Kidney disease
  • Stroke

If you’re over 65, you will also be told about the signs and symptoms of dementia to look out for.

If you’re aged 40-74 and you haven’t had a stroke, or you don’t already have heart disease, diabetes or kidney disease, you should have an NHS Health Check every five years.