The Director of Public Health has decided to approve the award of grant funding in the sum of £230,000 to NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB (Wirral Place) for the delivery by Wirral Primary Care Networks of the NHS Health Checks programme from 1st April 2025 - 31st March 2026.

There are circa. 23,900 people aged 65+years old in Wirral living with CVD (CVD includes heart attack, angina, heart mummer, abnormal heart rhythm or stroke) and this figure is set to increase by 2040. Undiagnosed, and therefore unmanaged cardiovascular disease creates poorer outcomes for the individual and also has wider economic impacts with increased emergency hospital admissions.

It is well recognised that inequalities exist in cardiovascular disease, the main drivers for this are socio-economic and demographic factors, and subsequent mortality with regards to deprivation and specific populations such as those with learning disabilities and/or severe mental illness.

Health checks is an NHS tool designed for early identification of disease management and secondary treatment prevention. Tariff payments for heath checks completed by Primary Care Networks (PCNs) are weighted higher towards the practices that are in the most deprived wards, to enable a focus on increasing the uptake in these communities.

Continuing this targeted approach gives PCNs the opportunity to work with their GP practices to prioritise resources and develop a bespoke model for their patients to target those most at risk of CVD.

Ceasing delivery of the NHS Health checks programme is not an option as it is a mandated Public Health service.