To think the NHS Health Check (for over 40s) can be done at home?

[Usedphone]

I just had that health check done and it was a total waste of time!

The nurse told me that my BMI would skew everything (and that it was due to my muscle mass), she just ticked some boxes, added some data, took my blood pressure and then told me I was low risk and that I should ignore the other advice.

She was also surprised when I told her I was not white! (Which I'm.not but I know I can be white passing).

It would have been quicker to just go in, take my booo pressure and do the rest from my phone. Would have had exactly the same result, and no waste of resources!

Went along - bored nurse ticked boxes did BP - told to arrange blood test - another visit - assume all was ok, no results ever given. Didn't mention fact I am 4 stone overweight, didn't ask about the niggles I have, told cannot discuss my increasingly sore arm , so 2 wasted visits - and I still cannot get an appointment to discuss what I need. We need to stop this time wasting.

Getting any appointment is a good opportunity to discuss other concerns.

Yes, these are checks for the worried well if you like. DH and I recently had 55+ checks, neither of us ever goes to the doctors. They picked up high BP for both of us, and turns out I have shit kidney function.

If you never go, because you are never ill, stuff gets missed, so it's worth going.

We also recently had the postal bowel tests, PSA for DH, Mammogram and smear for me. Prevention is key. You can't complain about a health service that tries to keep you healthy.

DH also recently had a CT for his hip, they picked up an incidentsl shadow on his lung. He's currently in a mad turnaround of extra tests, all done in a week from the CT. Can't fault the turnaround.

You never know what's going on inside, if you are generally well.

Annual checks are more normal in other countries, that's why their health services are better, and they can atch things earlier, and survival is better.

That's one of the reasons for the check-up at 40, catching up with people that don't see the doctor very often.

I come originally from one of those countries where "annual checks" are a thing, and they're completely different! Full blood panel, urine samples, mammograms for the ladies, as well as hormone panels, prostate antigens for the gentlemen.

That's how they caught my iron deficiency and hypothyroidism (both asymptomatic) 13+ years ago.

What I experienced today was a total joke (and a waste of time) in comparison.

I run health checks in pharmacy. We are quite thorough. It takes anywhere from 30 mins - 1hr, depending on the person in front of you. We do BMI, BP, cholesterol test (pin prick test) lifestyle and then go through anything they would like to change at the end and encourage them to do so if they wanted to. We can signpost, but do t have to, and as a health care provider everything is without judgement and often I find people chatting about other worries they have. Which if I can I will point them in the direction they need to get help. I also run the stop smoking clinic so at least it's a familiar face
Not everyone will be eligible. Rule of thumb (but not exact) if you don't visit the doctor that often, don't have regular blood pressure checks, cholesterol etc then you won't be invited. The idea is to screen for CVD before it gets to a point that need higher intervention.

Paid for through state health care or private insurance?

Public health system. I'll always qualify for it as it's a constitutional right.

Not at my Drs!! only allowed to talk about one thing and they are VERY strict on that!! Posters every where stating so and i have tried last time i went a couple of months ago and tried to talk about something else. its madness haha

Your experience with NHS checkups totally different with mine. I had 2 NHS checkups last year and this year mine was full body checkup took blood for 7 different tests and both. I had my GP phone appointment to go through with blood tests results. I'm grateful with this test, things show up in my blood I didn't know I have those health issues to keep an eye closely.

Both my NHS test last year and this year included Cholesterol, Liver... and so on.
The GP surgery took this test very seriously where I am.

How was your muscle mass calculated? Sounds it was quite thorough if they did that!

They didn't calculate it. She had a look at me (I was in running leggings and top) and asked about my activity levels and that was her conclusion.

Just ring up and ask for one.

Oh I see. In which case, yes, sounds like a waste of time as there is no way she could calculate muscle mass by looking! Did she even weigh you? It does sound bonkers.

She did! I do have visible muscles too (so it's not necessarily a stretch) but she went down the road of "don't worry about your weight you exercise a lot anyway".

Box ticking exercise for GP practices to get extra payments.

I had my BMI calculated by a consultant... looking at me

@fivebyfivebuffy - blimey! It’s incredibly hard to guess anyone’s weight! Unless someone is pretty much the same height and size of you, and even then clothing masks plenty. I once said something to a 6ft male friend that he must be around twelve stone, to which he laughed a lot and thanked me. I’d purely guessed going by him being several inches taller than me and definitely larger looking. Apparently he was closer to 15 stone.

Since the NHS have been no help to me whatsoever I can’t imagine this “check” will be useful either. They clearly don’t give a shit so why should I cooperate so they can tick a box for their extra money ?

Im also quite capable of taking my blood pressure, weight and height without assistance.

I think they get paid for every check they complete. GP don't do anything for free or out the goodness of their heart - they get paid for health checks and vaccinations.

He estimated it at 41 and said they wouldn't operate
I followed that with a very angry email, call and letter pointing out if they were going to use BMI to operate perhaps it should be accurate and my BMI was actually 34 but thanks for telling me how morbidly obese I looked

It got corrected

@fivebyfivebuffy that’s shocking!😱

Outrageous. Any other GPs you could register with?

That would be fine if this wasn’t the first time I was hearing they were a thing…