Checking up on check-ups

Watchdog calls for review of NHS health MOTS

- MARTIN BAGOT

FEWER than half of eligible adults are having their midlife MOTS, as a national review of the NHS Health Check is ordered.

The check-ups every five years are designed to help save lives but a government watchdog has ruled not enough people are being offered or receiving them in England.

The scheme helps assess the risk of over-40s developing heart disease, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes or a stroke in the next 10 years.

Gareth Davies, head of the National Audit Office, said: "Each year thousands of lives are lost to cardiovascular disease, with billions of pounds spent tackling it.

"Health checks can play a crucial role in bringing these numbers down.