Know your numbers: the free NHS Health Check busy owners keep skipping

You would never let the company accounts go five years without a proper look. You would not buy a rental property without a survey. Yet many business owners in their fifties and sixties have no idea what their own blood pressure is, when their cholesterol was last checked, or whether they have ever had the free check-up the NHS offers them.

This is not about fear. It is about the same discipline you already apply to everything else you have built: know the numbers, spot the problem early, act while the options are still wide open. This week’s Wellness Corner is about the NHS Health Check, the quiet risk of high blood pressure, and why the busiest people are often the ones who skip both.

A quick word before we start: I am an estate planner, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice. The details below come from nhs.uk, and if anything in this piece raises a question about your own health, the right person to speak to is your GP.

What the NHS Health Check actually is

The NHS Health Check is a free check-up of the health of your heart and blood vessels. In England, it is offered to adults aged 40 to 74 who do not already have certain conditions. If you are in that age range and eligible, you should be invited by your GP or local council once every five years.

According to nhs.uk, the check is for people who have not already been diagnosed with conditions such as heart disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, stroke or a transient ischaemic attack, inherited high cholesterol or peripheral arterial disease, and who are not already prescribed medicines such as statins. The reasoning is simple: if you already have one of those conditions, you should be having regular check-ups with your care team anyway.

What happens at the appointment

The check usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes and is often carried out by a nurse or healthcare assistant at your GP surgery, or by a pharmacist. It usually includes:

• your height, weight and waist measurement
• a blood pressure test
• a cholesterol test, and possibly a blood sugar test
• a few questions about family history and lifestyle

At the end, you are given a cardiovascular risk score — an estimate of your risk of developing a heart or circulation problem, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes or kidney disease, over the next ten years. You are also given personal advice on how to lower that risk.

If the invitation never arrives

Letters get lost, emails go to the wrong inbox, and a text from the surgery is easy to swipe away between meetings. If you are 40 to 74, think you are eligible and have not been invited, nhs.uk says to contact your GP practice. If your practice does not offer the check, your local council can tell you where to book one.

Blood pressure: the silent risk

High blood pressure does not usually cause any symptoms. Many people have it without realising. It can lead to serious problems such as strokes and heart disease, and the NHS is clear that the only way to find out whether you have it is to get it checked.

What the numbers mean in plain English

A reading is given as two numbers, such as 130/80.

• The first (higher) number is the systolic pressure — the highest level your blood pressure reaches as your heart pumps blood around your body.
• The second (lower) number is the diastolic pressure — the lowest level it reaches as your heart relaxes between beats.

The NHS says you are usually considered to have high blood pressure if your reading is 140/90 or higher when checked by a healthcare professional, or 135/85 or higher when checked at home. The home figure is lower because readings taken in a surgery are often a little higher — a white coat and a waiting room will do that to most of us.

One reading on its own is a snapshot, not a verdict. Blood pressure moves through the day with stress, caffeine, exercise and the sheer effort of getting to an appointment on time. That is why a professional may ask you to take several readings, or wear a monitor for 24 hours, before drawing any conclusions. Interpreting your numbers is a conversation for your GP, not something to settle at the kitchen table.

Home monitors

You can buy a blood pressure monitor to use at home, and they are widely available at modest prices. NHS England suggests choosing one that is listed as validated for accuracy by the British and Irish Hypertension Society. If your doctor or nurse asks you to monitor at home, they will usually tell you how often and for how many days. The general approach described on nhs.uk is to take a reading, note the numbers, wait a minute and take another — typically once in the morning and once in the evening.

Pharmacy checks — no appointment needed

If you cannot face waiting for a GP slot, many high-street pharmacies in England offer a free blood pressure check. According to nhs.uk, you can have one if you are 40 or over, live in England, do not already have a diagnosis of high blood pressure and have not had your blood pressure checked in the last five years. There is a finder tool on nhs.uk showing which pharmacies near you take part, and you do not normally need to book ahead.

Cholesterol: the other number worth knowing

Like high blood pressure, high cholesterol does not usually cause symptoms. You can only find out from a blood test. If you are over 40, a cholesterol test is part of the NHS Health Check, and some pharmacies also offer checks. Your results will be explained to you, and if anything needs following up, your GP will guide you on the next steps.

An illustration: two partners, one diary

Take a Sussex couple — we will call them David and Helen, invented purely for illustration — who have run a joinery business together for twenty years and hold three rental flats on the side. Both are in their late fifties. Both received NHS Health Check invitations some time ago. Neither booked.

It was not a decision. It was a diary problem. David had a tender deadline. Helen was dealing with a tenant change-over. The letters went into the “later” pile, and later never came.

What finally changed things was not a scare. Helen was collecting a prescription and noticed the sign offering free blood pressure checks. It took a few minutes. The pharmacist suggested she mention the reading to her GP, which she did, and she and David then booked their Health Checks on the same morning, back to back, and treated it like any other meeting that mattered.

The point of the story is not what the numbers showed. It is that a few minutes turned an unknown into a known — and a known is something you can do something about.

Why busy owners skip it

• “I feel fine.” With blood pressure and cholesterol, feeling fine tells you very little. That is precisely the issue.
• “I will do it after the busy season.” For most business owners, there is always another busy season.
• “I do not want to hear bad news.” Understandable — but the value of a check lies in catching things early, while simple changes can still make a real difference.
• “It is only for people with problems.” The reverse is true. The Health Check is designed for people who have not been diagnosed with anything.

What to do: book it like a board meeting

You would not cancel a meeting with your bank or your biggest client because the week got busy. Give your health the same standing.

• Check your eligibility. If you are 40 to 74 in England and have not had a Health Check in the last five years, look at the NHS Health Check page on nhs.uk.
• Ring the surgery. If you have not been invited, ask your GP practice. If they do not offer it, contact your local council.
• Put it in the diary with a hard stop. Book it, block it, and do not let anyone move it.
• Use the pharmacy in the meantime. If you are eligible, a free blood pressure check can often be done on the spot.
• Write your numbers down. Keep them somewhere sensible so you can compare next time.
• Talk to your GP about anything you are unsure of — and follow their advice rather than the internet’s.
• Bring your partner. Booking together removes the excuses and makes it a shared habit.

The bigger picture

Everything we do at Legacy Wills comes back to one idea: look after what you have built, and look after the people who depend on it. Your family’s future and your business’s future both rest, in the end, on you. Knowing your numbers is one of the simplest ways to protect all of it — and a free 30-minute appointment every five years is a small price in time for that peace of mind.

If you would like to talk through how your estate is arranged, or check that your plans still reflect your family and your business today, book a Discovery Call. It is 30 minutes, the fee is £30, and it is credited against our fees if you go on to instruct us.