Digital Health Check Pilots To Be Launched In England

The use of medical cloud storage enables all sorts of data to be easily shared between departments of the NHS, be they different hospitals or between hospitals and GP practices.

This may now be extended further to people’s homes under plans to pilot a new DIY digital health check, which will be linked to the NHS app.

As Pharma Forum notes, this was due to become available earlier this year, but after some delays, the system will be trialled in early 2025 in Norfolk, Medway District Council in Kent and the London borough of Lambeth.

It will offer a digital DIY check at home as an alternative to the annual in-person checks offered to patients aged between 40 and 74, with the aim being to have a million such checks carried out within four years. It will test for signs of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, kidney problems and dementia.

According to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), around 1.3 million tests have been carried out a year.

An initial pilot carried out in Cornwall in 2022 allowed patients to take a blood sample with a home testing kit, as well as fill in an online form.

“Over 16 million people are eligible for an NHS Health Check, but current data shows that only around 40 per cent of those invited went on to complete one,” A DHSC spokesperson said, noting that men were the most reluctant to seek help but are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

As the Forum notes, not everyone is convinced by this digital self-reporting approach, with the Royal College of General Practitioners expressing scepticism over its reliability when carried out by those with limited medical knowledge.

The NHS app itself is, however, already in widespread use with more than 34 million users. Among its key benefits is the two-way flow of information that enables patients to see their own medical records.