Operational update by Jamie Waterall

Jamie Waterall, National Lead for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Associate Deputy Chief Nurse

We have recently published the latest official statistics for the NHS Health Check programme, detailing activity for 2016/2017 ‘quarter one’ and accumulative activity for the past 3.25 years. Since April 2013, 4.5 million people have received an NHS Health Check, making this one of the world’s largest prevention programmes of its kind. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate those local authorities who continue to make improvements in the number of people accessing this important prevention programme  For those local areas who require support in improving their service, I would encourage them to make contact with their PHE centre leads, as various tools and examples of best practice are available to support you in delivering the NHS Health Check.

Our Expert Scientific and Clinical Advisory Panel have now reviewed the first cycle of content review submissions and have identified two proposals which require further assessment. These include options for extending the dementia risk reduction messaging for the entire eligible population aged 40-74 years and a review of the diabetes risk assessments tools used in the programme. Pilots are now underway to assess the feasibility of the dementia risk reduction proposal and we will keep you informed as these start to report. In terms of the diabetes risk filter and assessment tools, please do take the time to share your feedback through our consultation on the proposed recommendations from the Expert Scientific and Clinical Advisory Panel.

I have once again been invited to speak at the annual Issues & Answers in Cardiovascular Disease 2016 Conference, which takes place between the 4-5 November 2016 in Nottingham.  On behalf of the British Journal of Primary Care Nursing (BJPCN), they are offering a complementary free place to the first 20 delegates to book using PHECVD16 offer code, which includes registration, materials and conference dinner. I look forward to seeing those of you who will be attending the event this year.  

Finally, I would encourage you to read the article by Dr Matt Kearney on the NHS RightCare CVD Optimal Pathway. This is going to be a hugely valuable resource for primary care colleagues in ensuring that those patients who require further clinical assessment and treatment following the NHS Health Check receive the very best care.