Rotherham health check up service agreed for another five years including “compassionate weight programme” to “take away the stigma of obesity”

The NHS health check is currently offered to adults in England aged 40 to 74, and is designed to spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type two diabetes or dementia.

During Rotherham Council’s cabinet meeting yesterday (May 16), members agreed to commission the service until June 2027.

A report to cabinet states that in Rotherham, life expectancy and healthy life expectancy are lower than the national average.

It adds that 72.9 per cent of adults in the borough were overweight or obese in 2019/20, compared to 62 per cent nationally.

Smoking is also prevalent, as almost 18 per cent of adults smoke compared to 14 per cent nationally.

Councillor David Roche, cabinet member for adult social care and health told yesterday’s cabinet meeting:”The authority is committed to reducing those health inequalities.

“The NHS health checks, it’s proposed to give the contract to Connect Healthcare, which is a company formed by all the GP practices in Rotherham.

“GPs will call in eligible patients for the health check, and they will target communities with the highest risk of the conditions being screened.

“Based on the outcome of those tests, then GPs will provide advice around behaviour change and make appropriate referrals into our lifestyle services.

“We are moving across to a compassionate weight programme, which tries to take away the stigma of obesity, and instead looks at changing a mindset.”

Members also agreed to recommission healthy lifestyle behaviour change services by competitive procurement, “comprising services to support stopping smoking, weight management and improve access to exercise”.