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NHS Health Check
A free health check for eligible patients aged 40 to 74
Looking after your health doesn't have to wait until you feel unwell.
An NHS Health Check is a free appointment designed to identify your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and high blood pressure before symptoms appear.
Many of these conditions develop gradually and often have no early warning signs. An NHS Health Check can help detect potential problems early, giving you the opportunity to make positive lifestyle changes or start treatment if needed.
Why have an NHS Health Check?
An NHS Health Check can help you to:
- Understand your current health and future risk of disease.
- Detect health conditions before symptoms develop.
- Reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and kidney disease.
- Receive personalised advice to improve your health and wellbeing.
- Access support with stopping smoking, healthy eating, increasing physical activity, managing your weight and reducing alcohol intake.
- Receive treatment or medication where appropriate to help lower your risk.
What happens during the appointment?
Your NHS Health Check usually takes around 20 minutes.
During your appointment, a healthcare professional will:
- Measure your height and weight.
- Check your blood pressure.
- Take a blood sample to check your cholesterol (and blood sugar where appropriate).
- Ask about your lifestyle, including smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and physical activity.
- Discuss your family and medical history where relevant.
- Calculate your risk of developing heart disease or stroke over the next 10 years.
- Explain your results and discuss any support or treatment that may benefit you.
Who is eligible?
You may be eligible for a free NHS Health Check every five years if you:
- Are aged 40–74.
- Live in England.
- Do not already have certain long-term conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease or high blood pressure.
Book your NHS Health Check
If you are eligible and have not had an NHS Health Check within the last five years, we encourage you to book an appointment.
A simple 20-minute health check today could help protect your future health.
Please help us make the best use of NHS appointments
Every NHS Health Check appointment is an opportunity to support someone's health.
Unfortunately, some appointments are missed each month. In June alone, 16 NHS Health Check appointments were not attended, resulting in around 5.5 hours of valuable nursing time that could have been used to care for other patients.
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible. By cancelling in advance, we can offer your appointment to another patient who is waiting for a health check.
Thank you for helping us make the best use of NHS resources and ensuring appointments are available for those who need them.
Published: Jul 9, 2026