People living in the Whitmore Reans area are being invited to get a free health ‘MOT’ at a special community event taking place next week.

The City of Wolverhampton Council and the Black Country and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group are holding a drop in NHS Health Check Clinic at Newhampton Arts Centre from 3 to 8pm on Wednesday 8 June.

It is open to anyone aged 18 and over who lives in the St Peter's Ward. Visitors will be able to have their weight, height and BMI (body mass index) measured and their blood pressure taken. 

Those aged 40 to 74 will be offered a full NHS Health Check which includes the above as well as a review of family history and lifestyle and a blood test, which will offer a diabetes risk score and heart age.

Smokers aged 30+ will be able to take a lung capacity test, while those aged 75+ who have no long term health conditions can have a blood test, if they wish.

Local Community Champions have been trained up to support with the event, and will be helping out with weight and height measurement and blood pressure checks.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: "NHS Health Checks provide a chance for people to take control of their own health by making simple lifestyle changes which might help them live more healthily. 

"They assess an individual’s health and identifies steps people can take, such as eating more healthily or doing more exercise, which could lower their risk of developing conditions such as heart or kidney disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, dementia and some types of cancer.

"As we hopefully head towards the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are encouraging people to get Health Checks once more, either through their local GP if they are aged 40 to 74, or through special community events such as the one taking place in Whitmore Reans next week."

People are invited to drop in to the NHS Health Check Clinic at Newhampton Arts Centre, Dunkley Street, at any time between 3pm and 8pm, no appointment is necessary. For more information about the event, please email publichealth@wolverhampton.gov.uk. 

Councillor Jaspal added: "This initiative is part of our ongoing work to enable our communities to live longer, healthier lives. It is a pilot aimed primarily at people living in the St Peter's Ward but, if it proves successful, we hope to roll it out to other parts of the city where we know that health inequalities exist.”

To find out more about NHS Health Checks for 40 to 74 year olds, please contact your GP or visit NHS Health Check.  A range of online tools are also available to enable anyone aged 18 and over to check and assess their health. For details, visit Check your Health.