September marked 6 months of NHS Health Checks being carried out throughout Norfolk! We chatted to Laura who has been here from the beginning, what the past 6 months have been like.

“Wow! I cannot believe how quickly it has gone. It really doesn’t seem like 6 months ago that the service started with a small team of 3 plus Dan, our manager along with a small group of venues, to now being a group of nearly 15 and we have an extensive list of venues and different events. It’s amazing.”

Q: When did the service go live? The first clinic for my colleagues took place the on the 31 March but because I was on annual leave, my own clinic was on the 5 April at Lovell House in Kings Lynn. I did however spend a lot of time texting everyone on the first day to make sure it was going smoothly and giving words of encouragement.

Q: What was your first day on the job like? The first and second day was pretty quiet. However, I remember on the third day I was checking a lady who, in her words said ‘doesn’t get ill’ but she was 66 and thought she should get checked out after the pandemic. Her health check was fairly straight forward until it came to her BP which was very elevated. So, just like we were trained, I preceded to check it three times to be sure. It wasn’t dangerously high but as we were right across from her GP, I asked her if she was happy to pop over and she was. Later that day she returned, her GP had looked at the results, checked her themselves and started her on medication straight away. She was so grateful as the GP said if left untreated, she could have had complications.

Q: What has been a highlight for you over the past 6 months? A big highlight for me has been meeting people again after the pandemic. In my previous role I worked with Covid patients which was a difficult time as we all know. Now as a health check practitioner, being able to meet so many different people who want to make sure their health is okay, give advice when I can and knowing I am making a difference to them is so rewarding. Another highlight is receiving feedback from participants who have gone on to investigate their results further and finding out that if they didn’t get their health check when they did, they wouldn’t have been able to improve their health. This shows how vital it is to deliver this service to 40 – 74 year olds who are at risk at developing certain health conditions and by doing an NHS Health Check we are helping them reduce these risks and making sure they stay healthy.

Q: We’re sure you’ve met some amazing people; do you have any anecdotes to share? There are many stories I could share but one story that has stood out for me is my experience with a participant called George. George’s wife booked him in for a health check. He was a 40-year-old gentleman who came to see me, and we did all the tests. His results came back as him being slightly overweight, borderline high cholesterol, borderline pre diabetic and raised blood pressure. This worried George said he hoped I was not judging him (I wasn’t).

As we chatted, he told me he has two small children like myself and worked shifts, so mealtimes were focusing on trying to balance fussy eaters and finding time to eat. We talked about some ideas and tips for what he could do to improve. He left relaxed and thanked me for my help. Around 8 weeks later or so, I parked my car and managed to lose my parking ticket. I became flustered because I had my daughter with me, and I was trying to juggle multiple bags as I made my way to the desk. I began explaining my situation to the man who was there, he looked at me and said do you recognise me? Slightly confused, I said no I am afraid not. The man was George!

He told me that after his health check him and his wife started meal planning and he set time for his meals with his shifts, and this resulted in some weight loss. He also had his blood pressure rechecked at his GP by the practice nurse and that had also come down. We don’t often get to see participants after the health check, so it was amazing to see the change in George after just 8 weeks and the difference it had made. He thanked me also which was lovely and calmed me down about the parking ticket.

Q: What does the next 6 months look like? I think the next 6 months can only be the service getting even better! We have just set up the Hunstanton clinic which is getting busier. Dan and the team are always trying to find new venues so we can offer people more choices for venues and timings so it can fit in with their schedule’s. This may mean clinics earlier in the morning, later in the evening or even weekends. We are trying to help as many people as we possibly can.

Q: Why do you think having a NHS health check is important? People are walking around all day every day not knowing the amazing job that their body does and usually people don’t need to see the doctor until something goes wrong. With the NHS Health Checks, the tests we do help to prevent things like high blood pressure, diabetes, strokes, and heart attacks.

If you are aged between 40 - 74 you could be eligible for a FREE NHS Health Check. Check your eligibility and book in here, or call 08081750413