Three in five people invited for an NHS Health Check the past year did not take up the offer, an analysis of NHS data shows.

In 2023/24, 3.6 million people were invited to attend an NHS Health Check – the highest ever level.

But of these 2.1 million did not take up the offer, the figures up to March 2024 show.

The number of people missing out on a health check – offered to 40-74 year olds every five years to manage their risk of heart and kidney disease, stroke and diabetes – increased by a third from the previous year, the figures show.

However, because more people were invited, overall the numbers being checked increased last year, the figures confirmed.

In all, 1.41 million people had an NHS Health Check in 2023/24, the highest proportion since 2014/15, the analysis by Broadstone found.

A recent analysis of UK Biobank data found attending an NHS Health Check is associated with a lower risk of both death and several diseases.

This included a 19% lower rate of dementia diagnosis and a 23% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

The Government had put forward proposals last year to screen women for menopause within the NHS Health Check.

Digital health checks are being rolled out and councils have also been expanding to offer them in pharmacies and through the voluntary sector but most are still offered through general practice.

Concerns have been raised in the past about whether those who would most benefit are those taking up the offer of a health check.

And a 2022 report suggested that more pharmacies offering the service would help to widen access.

This article first appeared on our sister publication Pulse.