New Health Screening Thing?

[Eve]

Got home to a letter from my GP practice saying "Your doctor would like you to have a blood test so that your health can be monitored" and to ring the practice after 10am to make an appointment.

Will ring tomorrow and find out but was wondering if anyone else had had a similar letter for if it this some new screening thing as not from my usual GP, not heard of the one whose name it's in.

[boxtops]

It's probably part of the new Health Checks initiative (assuming that your're 40 or over, that is....) http://www.nhs.uk/Pla...k/Pages/Thecheck.aspx

[emmie]

Good thing, but very suspect that it's not from your usual gp. Are you sure this is not some phone scam?

[wolf63]

My doctor runs various 'clinics' that I have to attend. Each of the clinics has a doctor who is responsible for it and it is usually run by a nurse.

I usually get my bloods checked and blood pressure etc - a mini MOT sort of thing.

[Eve]

I'm 33 Boxtops :)

Hi Em, hope you're doing ok. I've had a look on their website and the GP who sent it is on there and the phone number is the main surgery phone number so looks legit.

Only had a full blood count, liver, kidney and ESR done at the beginning of Jan as part of my immunosuppressant screening but off them until after an op now which they know and they never chase up on that anyway so they have recent test results.

I was trying to think if it could relate to anything but my liver tests which showed something were redone and they said they were normal :) I saw immunology on Monday (cleared as no latex allergy, yay!) and she said she thinks I have oral allergy syndrome and my peak flow is down and I should have an asthma review but the letter is dated as sent Monday so they wouldn't have had anything to act on that that quickly and asthma isn't blood test related anyway.

Maybe it's some general screening thing and they just sent random letters. Hopefully they will explain on the phone as don't want to book time off work for a test if it's something random unless there is good reason.

[bibblebub]

i received a similar letter earlier this month but have decided to decline the invitation

[Eve]

Ah that may be it then, thanks bibblebub. Did they say what it was for?

[bibblebub]

it was a general check-up for the sake of having a general check-up

[boxtops]

jenna, each GP practice has targets for certain patient groups......

[bundleone]

It's a new thing for over 40's, I have had my check up, I think it's sensible to go for it, they are looking at prevention rather than cure.They take blood test for colesteral, hieght, weight, waist mesurement. They want to prevent things like diabetis, stroke, heart attacks, and it's free. There are lots of conditions that don't have symptoms,so get checked out.

[boxtops]

That's what I said, bundle, but jenna's not nearly 40 yet.

[Ann]

In my area (Leics) the health checks are pathetic. My husband had a heart attack in April 2005 and is supposed to go to a yearly Healthy Heart Clinic in our local surgery. Most years they forget about him and we have to pester for an appointment. You would think after having a heart attack they would actually do some heart tests to make sure he isn't heading for another one, but No all they do is take his blood pressure, do the usual bloods for diabetes etc which everyone has, and weighs him. I have all that at my annual blood pressure clinic. I wish they would do an ECG and possibly an echocardiogram like he had in the hospital just before he came home after his attack. Our GP practice is not really up to scratch, he asked about the new blood test for checking levels for Prostate, all men over 60 can have these, but our jolly practice says only if its deemed necessary by your doctor!

[boxtops]

ann - if it's a problem, contact the PALS service at your local PCT. They want to know if you're not getting the service you should be, from your GP practice.

[Sqad]

Ann...re your husband.....following his heart attack in 2005 i guess that he will be on statins and aspirin and routine ECG's and Echocardiograms are not good predictors of future heart attack and I can understand your GP's reluctance to go down that route. BP, cholesterol and weight are better guides.

I don't know what you mean by the "new " blood test for "prostate" but he should have the well established PSA ( Prostate Substance Antigen) at least every 2-3 years for prostate cancer.

[Ann]

Thanks Sqad - re: heart clinic, yes that has explained it thanks, his BP is kept well under control etc. I didn't realise the other tests would not show up evidence of future attacks.
Re: the PSA levels test - No, here in our town, our GP practice up to now does not do this test routinely, they seemed not to know much about it, perhaps they have to "buy it in" and are not going down that route yet! Now you have told me that, I will get him to insist on it (although - touch wood - he doesn't have a problem) its always good to be tested isn't it? Many thanks for your advice Sqad, very helpful as always :)

[Eve]

Mystery solved (ish). Rang the surgery who weren't actually sure but then asked if I had arthritis and said it was likely to be general screening to keep a check on it so maybe they are doing an arthritis thing.

From what I was told (if it's right?) some practices have to be signed up in particular for certain things. I asked my former GP practice about their stop smoking clinic as had seen it advertised there previously and was told they weren't allowed to have one as they didn't have the appropriate thing with the PCT/funding etc... I wanted to ask about alternatives for NCT in more depth as previous GPs have refused to prescribe me the stop smoking tablets like champix and zyban(?).

They didn't do wound dressing either which led to a last minute panic to get an appointment somewhere after having an abscess removed. They were shut down not long after though and we were transferred to a new practice, which is a lot better.