Letters
NHS health checks
NHS health checks are a waste of resources
BMJ 2015; 350 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h1006 (Published 24 February 2015) Cite this as: BMJ 2015;350:h1006
- Alain Braillon, senior consultant1,
- Susan Bewley, professor of complex obstetrics, King’s College London2,
- Charlotta Pisinger, associate professor3,
- Roger A Fisken, consultant physician4,
- Caroline Richmond, retired medical journalist5
- 1University Hospital. 80000 Amiens, France
- 2Women’s Health Academic Centre, St Thomas’ Hospital, London SEI 7EH, UK
- 3Research Center for Prevention and Health, Capital Region, Center for Sundhed, Glostrup University Hospital, Glostrup, Denmark
- 4Bedale DL8 2JE, UK
- 5London, UK
- braillon.alain{at}gmail.com
News that the government defends NHS health checks for 40-74 year olds but promises evaluation deserves more attention.1 General health checks have been evaluated: they neither reduce morbidity nor mortality, overall, for cardiovascular disease, or for cancer.2 3 4
The government was warned. In 2008, the prime minister announced “everyone in England will have access to the right preventative health check-up.” The president of the Faculty of Public Health stated …
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