Health checks could start at 30 in 'national first'

People living in a seaside town could be offered health checks from the age of 30 in a national first for the NHS, a senior doctor said.
The free screening is usually offered to those aged 40 to 74, but that could be lowered in Clacton-on-Sea to tackle health inequalities.
Dr Ed Garrett revealed the plan at a Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) meeting on Tuesday and said it was "progressing" forward.
But an NHS spokesman said the idea was "very early stages".
The health check aimed to detect if people were at higher risk of getting certain illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes and strokes.
It involved screenings, including cholesterol and blood pressure tests.
Dr Garrett said it would be a "national first" if the proposal went ahead.
"Given life expectancy [in Clacton], we feel it's important that health checks are delivered earlier," he said.
The seaside town has been the focus of concerted efforts by the NHS to stop deprivation leading to health inequalities.
Chief Medical Officer Sir Chris Whitty visited in 2021, having authored the Coastal Communities report.
In it, he said these towns suffered from high rates of serious illnesses and lower life expectancy among residents.
Ian Davidson, chief of Tendring District Council, also said people living in some parts of Clacton had a life expectancy 18 years lower than in wealthier parts of Essex.
When approached by the BBC to provide more details on its health checks plan, an ICB spokesman said it was still in its infancy.
He added: "We'll share more details as soon as we are able."
Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Life expectancy gap of 18 years in parts of Essex
Whitty: Deprived coastal towns need redesign
Seaside poor health overlooked, warns Whitty
Suffolk and North East Essex ICB

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

an hour ago

• Yahoo

Weight loss pill set to rival injections after promising studies

A new daily weight loss pill has shown promising results in initial studies. Researchers say amycretin, which can be offered by injection or tablet, helped patients lose a significant amount of weight in the first trials. Those who received higher doses of amycretin as a weekly jab lost 24.3 per cent of their body weight after 36 weeks of treatment, while patients who took daily tablets lost an average of 13.1 per cent of their body weight after 12 weeks. While weight loss jabs have been hailed as transformative by NHS leaders, injections come with additional work for over-stretched health services, so tablet forms of medication may offer a new hope for the millions of people looking to lose weight. It has been estimated that around 1.5 million Britons are having weight loss jabs, which have been either prescribed through specialist weight loss services or private prescriptions. GPs will be able to dish out jabs from next week. Amycretin, made by Novo Nordisk, helps to control blood sugar and appetite by targeting two specific receptors in the body – GLP-1 and the amylin receptor. An early trial in 125 adults testing weekly injections of amycretin, which has been published in The Lancet, found that those taking the highest dosage (60mg) lost 24.3 per cent after 36 weeks of treatment. It also showed signs of improving blood sugar levels. Side effects included nausea and vomiting, and were mostly mild to moderate and resolved by the end of treatment. 'These phase 1b/2a data support the potential of once-weekly subcutaneous amycretin as a therapeutic for people living with overweight or obesity,' the authors wrote. 'Amycretin appeared safe and tolerable, and there were significant reductions in body weight after 36 weeks of treatment.' The second early trial, published in the same journal, assessed amycretin in tablet form in 144 people over 12 weeks. There were mild to moderate side effects including loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. Researchers found that people taking the highest dose of 100mg per day, lost 13.1 per cent of their body weight over four months. The authors wrote: 'Amycretin effectively lowered body weight and improved metabolic and glycaemic parameters in people with overweight or obesity. 'Longer studies with more participants are warranted for evaluation of the safety and efficacy of amycretin in individuals living with obesity and type 2 diabetes, and to optimise the dosing regimen.' The studies were also presented at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago, in the US. It comes as a separate study, which was published at the same meeting, examined the effects of weight loss jab Wegovy at higher doses. Researchers found that giving patients 7.2mg of Wegovy, also known as semaglutide, once a week led to an average weight loss of 20.7 per cent, with a third of participants losing 25 per cent or more of their body weight after 72 weeks.

Yahoo

2 hours ago

• Yahoo

Weight loss pill shows promise in new trial

A new weight loss medication, which can be offered by injection or tablet, can help patients lose a significant amount weight, studies suggest. An early study have found that people who received higher doses of amycretin as a weekly jab lost 24.3% of their body weight after 36 weeks of treatment. And initial trials assessing a tablet form of the drug also showed promising results, with patients taking daily tablets losing an average of 13.1% of their body weight after 12 weeks. Weight loss jabs have been hailed as transformative by NHS leaders. But injections come with additional work for over-stretched health services so tablet forms of medication may offer a new hope for the millions of people looking to lose weight. It has been estimated that around 1.5 million Britons are having weight loss jabs, which have been either prescribed through specialist weight loss services or private prescriptions. GPs will be able to dish out that jabs from next week. Amycretin, made by Novo Nordisk, helps to control blood sugar and appetite by targeting two specific receptors in the body – GLP-1 and the amylin receptor. An early trial in 125 adults testing weekly injections of amycretin, which has been published in The Lancet, found that those taking the highest dosage (60mg) lost 24.3% after 36 weeks of treatment. It also showed signs in improving blood sugar levels. Side effects included nausea and vomiting and were mostly mild to moderate and resolved by the end of treatment. 'These phase 1b/2a data support the potential of once-weekly subcutaneous amycretin as a therapeutic for people living with overweight or obesity,' the authors wrote. 'Amycretin appeared safe and tolerable, and there were significant reductions in body weight after 36 weeks of treatment.' The second early trial, published in the same journal, assessed amycretin in tablet form in 144 people over 12 weeks. There were mild to moderate side effects including loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. Researchers found that people taking the highest dose of 100mg per day, lost 13.1% of their body weight over four months. The authors wrote: 'Amycretin effectively lowered body weight and improved metabolic and glycaemic parameters in people with overweight or obesity. 'Longer studies with more participants are warranted for evaluation of the safety and efficacy of amycretin in individuals living with obesity and type 2 diabetes, and to optimise the dosing regimen.' The studies were also presented at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago, in the US. It comes as a separate study, which was published at the same meeting, examined the effects of weight loss jab Wegovy at higher doses. Researchers found that giving patients 7.2mg of Wegovy, also known as semaglutide, once a week led to an average weight loss of 20.7%, with a third of participants losing 25% or more of their body weight after 72 weeks.

Bloomberg

3 hours ago

• Bloomberg

UK Heat Wave Could Claim Nearly 600 Lives This Week, Experts Warn

Scientists have warned the elderly and other vulnerable groups in the UK are at risk of heat-related deaths this weekend, as a new study shows recent high temperatures could claim 570 lives in just over four days. Researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Imperial College London published on Saturday a real-time analysis calculating the number of heat-related deaths expected from Thursday to Sunday.