Every person in Tayside and Fife celebrating their 40th birthday will get an extra envelope in the post. Along with the cards from friends and family will be an invitation from NHS 24 to participate in a new service offering health checks.
Landmark birthdays, such as turning 40, often set people thinking about their life and changing habits to prolong or improve it. It’s opportunities like these that the Life Begins At 40 service is hoping to capitalise on.
Letters will invite people to go online and fill in a questionaire to assess their health, or do it over the phone.
Following completion of the self-assessment, participants will be given health information to suit their own needs, and information on national and local services.
Life Begins At 40 is part of a package of services, backed by nearly £15 million, to help people over 40 check up on their health.
The Keep Well programme, which has already been operating in some areas of Dundee for a number of years and provides health checks in areas of high deprivation, will now be extended in an £11 million plan to cover all of Scotland’s poorest communities from 2012.
As part of this programme, steps will also be taken to ensure health checks are offered to eligible carers.
The Scottish Government has also announced that a four-year pilot project, backed by more than £3.5 million, will start this year to explore the feasibility of introducing universal face-to-face “heart MoTs” to over 40s.Check-upAs part of the pilot, around 20,000 people in a number of areas across Scotland will receive a check-up.
Public health minister Shona Robison said, “Life Begins At 40 will see 74,000 Scots invited to self-assess their lifestyles and think about their health this year.
“In today’s tough economic times, we need to be as efficient as possible and that means maximising our investment in the health of the Scottish people. By investing in health services fit for the 21st century we can save lives.
“Prevention is better than cure, and we are dedicated to doing all that we can to identify those at risk from as early as possible. It’s important that people are encouraged to check their health and we want to make it as easy and convenient as possible.
“Keep Well is already successfully tackling health inequalities in our poorest communities. It has made a difference to thousands of people’s lives and with this development an additional 30,000 Scots a year will get the extra help and treatment that they need.
“The ‘heart MoT’ health check will provide vital research in health prevention. The checks will be for all individuals aged 40-74 not just those believed to be at risk and will mean that we will be able to test the success of a general heart check-up for the first time.”
NHS 24 medical director Dr George Crooks said, “Turning 40 is a significant milestone and it can traditionally be a time for making new lifestyle choices.
“Many people may be reflecting on their past and considering what’s ahead of them. It is an ideal, positive time for people to start thinking more about a healthy future.
“Your health matters and you can make a big difference by what you choose to do. By each of us knowing more about looking after our own health, we will all contribute to a healthier society.”