THURROCK Council is teaming up with the NHS to deliver health checks to all residents aged between 40 and 74.

The council has been given a public health grant of £1,748,358 for a NHS Health Check Programme that will be delivered by Thurrock's Primary Care Networks (PCNs).

Thurrock's cabinet has approved a five-year rolling programme of the health checks aimed at people between the ages of 40 and 74. The exception will be for people who have already had a diagnosis of cardiac and vascular disease (CVD). The aim is to catch heart disease early to save on NHS costs.

Outlining the programme at the cabinet meeting, Mark Hooper, councillor responsible for health and wellbeing, said: "The health checks are important in helping improve health conditions. That will be early diagnosis, preventing health conditions or just knowing that your health is okay.

"Historically, the take up of this has been poor both nationally and locally. The current service is provided by GP practices but the proposal is that the contract is given to the four PCN's in Thurrock. This will make monitoring the contract far easier and easier to hold accountability."

The contract is due to commence on October 1. The PCN's are required to invite 100 per cent of patients eligible for an NHS health check and they are required to deliver checks to at least to 75 per cent of patients identified as a "core risk cohort".

Cllr Hooper added: "The cohort is people with high blood pressure, smokers, people who have had previous high blood pressure, some particular ethnicities, living in a deprived area, families with a history of cardiovascular disease and people with mental illness.

"Most people have not heard about the health checks so to help improve the uptake public health have agreed to work with the council and Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Boards communication teams to ensure residents are aware of the benefits of receiving these health checks."

A report to cabinet said: "Assessing individuals' CVD risk can help to prevent the onset of CVD, whilst identifying conditions early will enable people to be treated and managed for their condition, helping to prevent escalation of the condition, reducing or preventing hospital admissions and need for social care support."