Eastbourne and Hastings residents urged to take greater advantage of free NHS Health Checks

“Eastbourne and Hastings residents can get a free in person NHS Health Check with us to spot early signs of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease. The check will help you to find ways to lower your risk’’ explains Hattie Deacon, NHS Health Check Lead for One You East Sussex.

County-wide healthy lifestyle service, One You East Sussex are funded by East Sussex County Council to help deliver the health check programme.

Eligible residents can book a 30-minute health screening with a trained NHS Health Check Practitioner at a time to suit them, with a few quick checks taken to provide an overview of their physical health. These include a cholesterol check, height and weight measurements, blood pressure check, and some simple diet and lifestyle questions, all in a safe space to talk about your overall health and wellbeing with our trained advisors.

“This is all about prevention and providing simple tips and advice to start improving health today. We can also help residents to access further support with us at One You, including free weight management support, stop smoking or health coaching programmes,” adds Hattie.

“In recent years, 45% of Eastbourne residents have described their health as very good, and 35.2% described as good. We want to increase those figures, especially as 68.3% of adults in Eastbourne are classified as overweight or obese, which is higher than the average for England’’

There are also specific challenges in Hastings. Both male and female life expectancy in Hastings is significantly worse than the England average; Hastings experiences higher mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases and a rise in premature mortality from respiratory diseases compared to the national average. The way to put yourself in the best position to prevent this, is to get checked.”

You’re eligible to book an NHS Health Check if:

• You’re a resident of East Sussex and/or you’re registered to a GP in East Sussex
• You’re aged 40-74
• You haven’t been diagnosed with heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, high cholesterol or high blood pressure
• You’re not taking medication for blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes
• You haven’t had an NHS Health Check in the last 5 years

To book or find out more information, visit: oneyoueastsussex.org.uk/programmes/nhs-health-check/ or phone 01323 404600