This report seeks approval to deliver an NHS Health checks pilot using Primary Care Networks (PCN)/Service Delivery Units (SDU) as the service provider in collaboration with NHS Cheshire and Merseyside (Wirral Place).  PCNs will be paid by NHS Cheshire and Merseyside (Wirral Place) as part of a contract variation.

The service providers (PCN/SDU) already deliver this service across the borough and therefore this decision has potential to affect all Wards across the Borough. The decision is not a key decision.

The report supports the implementation of the Wirral Plan, Wirral Health and Wellbeing Strategy and NHSE 2023/24 priorities and operational planning guidance.

Resolved – That the Director of Public health has agreed to the contract variation proposal whereby NHS Cheshire and Merseyside (Wirral Place) will pay PCNs directly for the delivery of the pilot.  The total estimated value of pilot is £201,926 (with any adjustment needed in year).

NHS Health Check provides information on what health and care professionals can do to help a person reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, once they have had an NHS Health Check.  Health and care professionals play an important role in supporting members of the public with evidence-based risk reduction interventions such as accessing behavioural programmes and pharmacological treatments, which will support them to lower or manage their risk of premature death and ill health. Disease management and secondary treatment prevention is led by the NHS. 

  Health checks are a key enabler for hypertension case finding, which is one of the five clinical priority areas in the Core20Plus5 framework and one of the key outcomes for NHS England 2023/2024 operational priorities. 

Health checks are mandated (prescribed functions) within the Local Authority Public Health ring fenced grant and the delivery model can be defined at Place. The option of the pilot remaining with Public Health was considered but given the fact that health checks are an NHS tool for early identification of disease management and secondary treatment prevention it makes sense for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside to vary the pilot into PCN contracts. 

The pilot will provide PCNs the opportunity to target their resources towards higher risk and vulnerable communities.