Screening

Mr. Lansley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the number of adults who received a regular check up on the NHS in the latest period for which figures are available;

(2) how many more adults in each year from 2007-08 to 2010-11 he expects will receive a regular check-up on the NHS; and how frequently each adult will receive these check-ups;

(3) by what date he expects his programme for every adult to receive a regular check-up on the NHS to be fully implemented;

(4) what guidance he has issued to trusts to ensure that every adult receives a regular NHS check-up.

Mr. Bradshaw
The General Medical Services contract requires general practitioner practices to:

invite all newly registered patients for a consultation within six months of registration;

provide, on request, a consultation to all patients aged 75 or over who have not had a consultation within the last 12 months; and

provide, on request, a consultation for patients aged 16 to 74 who have not had a consultation within the last three years.

There are no data collected centrally on the number of adults who receive such consultations.

The Department is currently developing proposals for a screening programme. The purpose of the screening programme will be to identify people’s levels of risk for cardiac and vascular disease so that they can be offered preventive measures.

The exact nature of a vascular risk assessment and management programme—and the operational timescales for implementing the programme—are still the subject of developmental work.