It can be easy to dismiss advice recommending you attend regular health checks. If you feel well then it can seem like a pointless waste of time. Nevertheless, they are a powerful way to protect your health, allowing you to take preventative steps before you developing significant medical problems.
How do NHS health checks work?
Free NHS health checks are offered to people between the ages of 40 and 74 who have not been diagnosed with one of several preexisting health problems; generally speaking, these are chronic cardiovascular issues. If you have one of these conditions you should already be receiving regular checkups. Invitations to a health check should arrive every five years, and may come from your GP or local council.
Most health checks are carried out by nurses, but you may see other healthcare professionals such as pharmacists, healthcare assistants or doctors. The average appointment will last between 20 and 30 minutes. You will be asked some questions about your family and medical history, as well as your exercise habits and whether you smoke or drink alcohol. Then your height, weight and waist will all be measured. You will undergo a blood pressure test using a blood pressure cuff and a cholesterol test through a finger prick blood test. A finger prick blood test may also be used to assess your blood sugar levels.
Results are available immediately. You will be given a score of low, medium or high, indicating your risk of developing problems such as strokes, heart disease, kidney disease and type 2 diabetes. There should also be a breakdown of specific aspects of your health, such as your current cholesterol level, blood pressure, alcohol usage and physical activity. Your healthcare professional should then be able to advise you on how to improve your score.
Why are these health checks important?
Health checks serve an important purpose as an early warning system. They can make you aware of the signs of a disease before it shows significant symptoms. They can even identify certain factors that put you at risk of developing certain conditions even when you are not currently diagnosable. For instance, high blood pressure and high cholesterol can indicate an increased likelihood of cardiovascular problems, including heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. Full type 2 diabetes can be preceded by prediabetes.
Knowing about these risk factors or early signs means you can adjust your lifestyle to try to prevent the condition from progressing to something more serious. You may need to adjust your diet, or start exercising more, or stop smoking. In some cases, there may be certain medications that can control current symptoms before more drastic interventions are necessary, such as statins for high cholesterol. This is better for your health, as well as being more efficient and cost effective for the NHS.
You may find the idea of a health check annoying or even intimidating, but if you want to know whether you are at risk of medical problems in future or to diagnose conditions in the early stages before they can progress in severity, you should not avoid them. They are better than not knowing you are ill until it is too late to intervene.
What services does Clinical Rx provide?
In general, clinical pharmacists exist to help with the management of medication. They ensure patients receive the correct prescription, that it works as intended, that potential side effects are monitored, that their dosage is adjusted as needed, and that reviews are carried out as necessary. This is of particular use for those with chronic conditions who require long term management, and who are particularly reliant on the ongoing support of their GP practice.
Utilisation of clinical pharmacists allows the practice as a whole to work more efficiently, ensuring doctors can focus on more complex diagnoses and treatments, and it improves the patient experience by providing them with quicker and more tailored care. Increased efficiency in time, organisation and costs ensures ARRS funding is put to good use, to the benefit of a practice or entire PCN.
There are several benefits to utilising the services of Clinical Rx, in particular, which works as a remote clinical pharmacist provider supporting a range of PCNs and practices as needed on a flexible basis. As well as streamlining prescription management and reviews, relieving pressure on GPs, and improving patient care, it can clear the backlog and help meet QOF targets. Meeting QOF targets, in particular, allows you to be rewarded for good performance, increasing your practice income. This makes ARRS funding a profitable investment as well as one that is effective in terms of patient outcomes.
It can be a difficult decision to decide how best to use ARRS funding, but Clinical Rx can provide specific benefits for patients and doctors both in terms of efficiency and cost effectiveness. This leads to better outcomes for everyone in the PCN or practice, and for the PCN or practice itself.
For improved outcomes, we believe that communication is vital between the different professions. At Clinical Rx®, we welcome feedback and reviews, so we can continue to offer the best possible service. By working together, the team can better address the complex needs of patients, improve outcomes, and enhance the overall patient experience. Ultimately, the goal is to provide high-quality care in a collaborative and patient-centred approach.Â
Our Pharmacists are not limited to medication management only. We understand that every GP Practice has different needs at times. Whether it be assistance with protocols, quality improvement work or additional work for CQC inspections – we can help, contact us for more information.Â
References: 1. Duncan, P. et al. (2020) ‘Barriers and enablers to collaborative working between GPS and Pharmacists: A qualitative interview study’, British Journal of General Practice, 70(692). doi:10.3399/bjgp20x708197.
