NHS: Free health checks available to older people

Starting in April, older persons will be able to participate in health checks sponsored by the National Health Service to detect or identify risks for common diseases such as stroke, diabetes and coronary heart disease.


Patients ages 40-74 can expect tests similar to an annual physical, including height and weight measurements, questions about diet and exercise, as well as blood tests for glucose and cholester

ol levels.


In return, general practitioners and other medical professionals will provide options for lifestyle changes that may aid in the reduction of these oft-preventable diseases that affect more than 6 percent of the population, according to government figures.


Health secretary Alan Johnson said that the preventive measures "could save 650 lives a year," and aids "the country's most deprived families."


Coronary heart disease, one of the focuses of the program, is Britain's number one cause of death, with 110,000 succumbing to the effects of CHD annually, according to DHS statistics.


April 1 will also mark NHS's introduction of elective screening for MRSA infections, as well as a moratorium on charges for cancer treatment.


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