Huge health check pilot for Blackburn with Darwen!

For the first time ever, Government is bringing together local authorities with employers to deliver NHS Health Checks into workplaces across the country – and Blackburn with Darwen is part of the first pilot programme.

This means our Health & Wellbeing Team can offer comprehensive heart health checks that can detect people at higher risk of a range of diseases and help them to access effective treatment or take preventative action.

Blackburn with Darwen has been chosen as part of the Workplace Cardiovascular Disease Health Check Pilot along with 48 other local authorities.

Running until March 2025, there will be 1,000 health checks carried out in large workplaces across BwD as part of the Government’s £10m. Shared Outcome Fund.

If you want your business to take part in the programme, and to get health checks for your staff, please contact the BwD Health and Wellbeing Team at: wellbeing@blackburn.gov.uk

We know that these checks save lives – Every year, the NHS Health Check programme engages over 1.3 million people in England and prevents an estimated 300 premature deaths.

NHS Health Checks are effective at preventing cardiovascular disease, so we are working to remove barriers to help more people access the programme and improve understanding of the importance of having a heart health check.

By delivering checks in workplaces, we hope to reach people who are at higher risk and are less likely take up the offer of a check, such as men and younger adults. 

The Health Check may be a full NHS Health Check if you are eligible, or a Mini Health check if you fall outside of the national programme eligibility.  The Mini Health check includes height, weight, BMI, BP and information about available services and support.

In order to be eligible for a full NHS Health Check, you will need to meet the following criteria:

• Aged between 25 – 74 years
• Haven’t had an NHS Health Check in the last 5 years

If any issues are discovered during these health checks, the team will be able to advise you on the next steps, from making some lifestyle changes such as getting more active and eating healthily, to seeing your GP for further check ups.

Councillor Damian Talbot, Executive Member for Housing and Public Health, said:

I’m really pleased that Blackburn with Darwen has been chosen as one of the pilot areas for these health checks.

This simple health check can help identify issues and can prevent people becoming seriously ill, and carrying them out in the workplace means it’s an easy and convenient way to get checked out. I hope large workplaces across the borough will sign up for this – we are aiming to be the healthiest and happiest borough we can be and this is a fantastic place to start.”