Source · National Audit Office
Progress in preventing cardiovascular disease
A review of how NHS Health Checks are provided in England is needed to improve the system for preventing cardiovascular disease.
Published: 13 Nov 2024
Recommendations: 4
Type: Value for Money
NAO confirmed: 4
Department: Department of Health and Social Care
Recommendations
DHSC should review the relative value of commissioning Health Checks through local authorities against alternative commissioning routes, such as NHSE, which could include incentives for delivering Health Checks in the Quality and Outcomes Framework for primary care practitioners.
Recommendation 2
DHSC should set clear targets or expectations for the numbers or percentages of the eligible population who should attend Health Checks.
Recommendation 3
DHSC should incentivise delivery of Health Checks towards the groups in the population that are at highest risk of CVD to help mitigate health inequalities and reduce potential longer-term costs falling on the NHS in the future.
Recommendation 4
DHSC and NHSE should assess the effectiveness of data flows between DHSC, local authorities and primary care to inform a data improvement programme. This should include an assessment of the feasibility of adding Health Check data to CVDPREVENT and of the costs and benefits of giving DHSC greater
access to primary care data.
access to primary care data.