A leading charity has called for the government to improve the delivery of NHS Health Checks and ensure they reach those most at risk.

The call from Diabetes UK comes as an estimated 6.3 million people are living with non-diabetic hyperglycemia, more commonly known as prediabetes.

Diabetes UK said improving access to health checks could help ensure that people who are unaware they are living with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes have the right support at the earliest possible opportunity.

Its latest diabetes prevalence figures reveal an all-time high of 4.6 million people in the UK with a diagnosis of diabetes, as well as a further 1.3 million living with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.

The charity has also called for investment in diabetes prevention support for those identified with prediabetes or at high risk of type 2 diabetes, such as through the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme.

And it said continued and increased investment in better care for all types of diabetes, including more support for people newly diagnosed with the condition as well as better provision of annual diabetes health checks, was needed.

Government committed to preventative action on diabetes

In response, a Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson said that preventative action was 'crucial' to tackle the 'concerning' prevalence of diabetes.

'As part of our 10 Year Health Plan, we are committed to a shift from sickness to prevention to enable everyone to live a healthy life for longer,' they said.

They highlighted the new digital NHS Health Check being developed 'that people can use at home to understand their risk of diabetes and how to reduce it'.

And they said the government was 'taking action to tackle type 2 diabetes-related lifestyle factors head on, including restricting junk food advertising on TV and online'.

How could community pharmacy help increase health check uptake?

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

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

Currently, some local councils commission NHS Health Checks through some community pharmacies.

Alastair Buxton, director of NHS services at Community Pharmacy England (CPE), said it would support any enablers or incentives to encourage more local authorities to commission pharmacies to provide the NHS Health Check.

'Given their unique position at the heart of communities, pharmacies are ideally placed to support access to and provision of health checks,' he said.

'Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund’s Vision for Community Pharmacy recommended that pharmacies provide a range of public health services, including targeted health checks, which are one of our priority community pharmacy service enhancements.'

And the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) director of corporate affairs, Gareth Jones, said that the convenience of community pharmacies for checks and screening meant their 'potential in the prevention sphere' was 'enormous'.

'But this can only be unlocked if the necessary investment is there, for the short and long term,' he said.

Mr Jones added that the NPA would 'support a properly funded nationwide health check service in pharmacies, to widen access, including in more deprived areas of England'.

Could community pharmacy provide a specific diabetes screening service?

Meanwhile, the Company Chemists' Association (CCA) suggested that a specific diabetes screening programme commissioned through community pharmacies could screen 1.5m adults every year and reduce the number of people developing type 2 diabetes by 18,000 each year.

This would prevent almost 7,000 heart attacks and strokes among those with undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes, and save the NHS almost £50m every year for each cohort screened, the CCA said.

'Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in the UK, and its prevalence is increasing. The cost of the disease, for patients, the NHS and wider society is significant,' Malcolm Harrison, CCA chief executive, said.

The Independent Pharmacies' Association (IPA) has also published a proposal for a pharmacy-led diabetes screening programme.

'Systematic screening for diabetics in at risk patient groups should become a mainstream activity for community pharmacy teams,' Dr Leyla Hannbeck, IPA chief executive, told The Pharmacist.

'In addition, the routine evaluation of diabetics for the risk and presence of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular renal disease represents a natural extension to community pharmacies’ role.'

She highlighted that the community pharmacy network 'has the clinical and cognitive skills to identify symptomatic groups for screening'.

And she suggested that the Community Pharmacist Hypertension Case-Finding service could be expanded to commission pharmacies to measure the BMI of patients over 40, as well as identify any family history of diabetes or CVD, and the patient's ethnic background.

Pharmacies could then give the patient a HbA1C test if the risk was considered to be high, refer patients onward if needed, or offer services such as weight management or smoking cessation if appropriate.

RPS: Pharmacists in multi-disciplinary teams needed to improve patient outcomes

Professor Claire Anderson, Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) president, suggested that 'pharmacists across all healthcare settings' should be utilised as part of 'a strategic, coordinated approach'.

And she said that 'to improve patient outcomes, NHS organisations must embed consultant pharmacists in diabetes care within multidisciplinary teams'.

But Professor Anderson stressed that pharmacists needed 'proper support, resource and protected time to develop their practice'.