Uptake of cardiovascular health checks in community pharmacy versus general practice

The NHS Health Check is a cardiovascular screening program for individuals aged 40–74 years that aims to identify those with early disease or at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Eligible patients from two matched primary care practices were offered NHS Health Checks, one group in their own general practice and the other at a local community pharmacy. The number of patients invited and number of NHS Health Checks performed was compared from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016 inclusive. In all, 2265 eligible patients were invited by letter to book an NHS Health Check, 1000 at a community pharmacy and 1265 at their own primary care practice. Of these, 264 people (21%) attended the primary care practice and 234 people (23%) attended a community pharmacy (p = 0.075). Offering NHS Health Checks in a community pharmacy is a viable alternative to performing checks in general practice.