A report from the National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed that there is currently no effective system for commissioning Health Checks, despite it being a statutory responsibility on local authorities.

Health Checks are the government’s key means for identifying and supporting people at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) who are not routinely identified by primary care.

The report examined the effectiveness of the government‘s approach to identifying, preventing and managing CVD in England.

NAO also said that the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and local government have weak levers to encourage primary care or other services to deliver Health Checks.

As a result, in England, just under half of the annual eligible population attended a Health Check in 2023-24, and only three per cent of local authorities delivered a Health Check for all of their annual eligible population.

The NAO has recommend that the DHSC consider improvements in several areas.

These include assessing whether local authorities are best placed to deliver Health Checks, and incentivising delivery of Health Checks to people at highest risk of CVD to help mitigate health inequalities and reduce potential longer-term costs falling on the NHS in the future.

Councillor David Fothergill, chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board commented: “For many councils, NHS Health Checks are a key part of their health improvement programmes, engaging people in early conversations about health risks and lifestyle changes. However since 2015, the Public Health Grant has been reduced by £858 million, limiting councils' ability to fund these crucial services.

“This has led to a shift towards reactive care, despite evidence of the benefits of early intervention. Councils have adapted by using innovative approaches, targeting high-risk communities through outreach, and expanding services beyond general practices. 

"Over the past decade, councils have invited over 23.5 million people for a Health Check, with nearly 11 million participating. Despite these efforts, funding pressures remain.

“The Government needs to address the funding gap in public health, ensuring that councils are properly resourced to deliver preventative services and improve health outcomes for all communities. As the NAO highlights, poor data sharing hampers councils' ability to track outcomes but calls for a review of commissioning are a distraction from the real issue of inadequate funding.”