JUST OVER one third of the Worcestershire residents aged between 40 and 74 invited to have a health check in the past five years actually went along for the examination.

The NHS Health Check programme is one of the largest public health prevention programmes in the world and more than 6 million people in England have gone through it since it started in 2013.

But while the latest figures from Public Health England (PHE) show 100 per cent of Worcestershire residents in the age range were invited for the checks, just 38.5 per cent of them had their health assessed through the scheme.

This puts Worcestershire near the bottom of the national table at 137th out of 152 local authority areas for taking up this important opportunity which aims to help people live well into old age.

A small proportion of the county’s middle aged residents have been diagnosed, monitored and treated for the conditions the check aims to highlight and do not need the preventative programme’s check.

The health check aims to help detect and prevent early development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and dementia.

CVD is a leading cause of disability and death in the UK, affecting around 7 million people and being responsible for 26 per cent of all deaths in England.

Duncan Selbie, chief executive of PHE, said: “The programme is a cornerstone in England for the prevention of conditions such as CVD, which causes one in four premature deaths and places a huge strain on individuals, families and our healthcare system. We also know that it is the same risk factors causing many cancers and other preventable illnesses, so this is a hugely important programme.

“The NHS Health Check has had much success and has the potential to prevent many thousands of premature deaths and ill health in England, but there is still much to be done.

“We must work together to increase numbers taking up the offer, in particular targeting our efforts to those at greatest risk.

“There is good evidence that the programme is successful in identifying those at high risk of cardiovascular disease, but we also need to follow up with effective care and support for them.”

It is estimated that over the past five years 5,940 people in Herefordshire and Worcestershire could have been diagnosed with hypertension (possibly leading to a stroke) following a health check while 29,700 could have been found to be at risk of CVD.

A spokesman for PHE West Midlands said the programme was about picking up things that do not need medical intervention now but by making lifestyle changes it can stop those people needing medical intervention in the future.

She added that the check only takes a few minutes and it is not invasive but it can pick up things that would benefit people in later life and make the difference between them having a good quality of life into old age or not.

• The latest figures from the National Office of Statistics show the life expectancy for women in the UK is around 83 years but the last 20 years or so will not be in good health, while the life expectancy for a man is around 79 years with the last 16 or so will not be in good health.