Digital NHS Health Checks pilot rolls out across Southwark

6 March 2023

Southwark Council is running a three-month pilot project inviting 6,000 patients to complete an online NHS Health Check. Eligible patients will get a text message from their Southwark GP practice inviting them to complete the check online between 17 January and 16 April 2023.

The NHS Health Check is a free check for adults in England aged 40 to 74. It aims to spot the early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia.

Making the NHS Digital Health Check more convenient for patients

Patients complete the questionnaire online at a time that suits them. They can then either do a blood test at home, or locally at a selected pharmacy or leisure centre. The aim is to make patients’ lives easier, whilst reducing pressure on GP surgeries. It offers busy residents more choice, as it’s not always convenient to see a GP during normal hours.

Next steps for the NHS Digital Health Check

The NHS Digital Health Check has proved a success in two pilots already. The next step is to permanently roll it out to residents across the UK. It will complement the national in-person NHS Health Check programme currently running in GP surgeries and pharmacies.

Southwark Council was the first local authority in England to test, and pilot an online NHS Health check in 2019 and has been developing and refining it since then. The project will be academically reviewed by The National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Public Health Intervention Response Studies Team at Bristol University.

Page last updated: 06 March 2023