The lack of engagement with the NHS health check should be deeply concerning for the secretary of state, as it is with me, an emergency medicine doctor who treats the consequences of undiagnosed heart disease (Less than half of eligible people received NHS ‘midlife MOT’ since 2019, says watchdog, 13 November).
When you look into it further, the inequalities are alarming. If you come from a deprived part of England, such as east London, where I work, then you are four times more likely to die from a heart condition than those from more affluent areas. If you are male or from a Black or South Asian background, then you have a higher risk of developing heart disease, yet men from those communities are less likely to attend their NHS health check invitation.
