Making NHS Health Checks more accessible

Hampshire Perspectives is the County Council's residents' forum

This report summarises key findings from the 52nd Hampshire Perspectives survey.

It was conducted to understand views on proposals to expand NHS Health Checks by offering them in local community settings, with flexible appointments and on-the-day results, while continuing checks through GP practices. Your feedback is helping to shape the community-based delivery of NHS Health Checks in your community.

The survey was open from 24 March to 7 April 2026 and received 756 responses from Hampshire Perspectives members.

Key findings were as follows:

Views on community-based delivery:

• 85% of you were positive about the idea of community-based delivery for NHS Health Checks. You felt it would improve accessibility, convenience, appointment availability, and reduce pressure on GP services.
• Support for community-based delivery was highest among people already attending, followed by those who are open to attending. For this open group, increased convenience may help turn interest into attendance.
• However, in itself, offering checks through local community settings may not overcome attitudinal barriers, improve awareness of health checks, or fully address transport and mobility challenges.
• A few of you expressed some concerns about privacy, confidentiality, and the expertise of practitioners delivering health checks in community settings.

Preferences for the community-based offer:

• The majority preferred pharmacies for community-based health checks due to their convenience and perceived privacy.
• Online booking was the preferred access route for the majority, although walk-in appointments remained important for some, particularly those with lower digital confidence or less predictable schedules.
• There was also strong support for expanding community-based services for vaccinations (82%) and around half of you supported delivering mental wellbeing support in community settings.

Confirming existing knowledge of attendance and barriers:

• Overall, the findings reinforce previous research, showing positive attitudes towards NHS Health Checks and a strong willingness among most of you to attend.
• Consistent with earlier studies, some groups remained less positive, particularly those aged 40-54, people with health limitations, and those who experience difficulties accessing their GP.
• The barriers identified largely reflect those reported in previous research, including low awareness of NHS Health Checks and their benefits, concerns about GP appointment availability, lower trust in the healthcare system, anxiety about potential results, and scepticism about preventative healthcare.
• Hampshire County Council also conducted interviews with eligible adults from diverse ethnic minority communities. Findings were broadly consistent with the survey. Some additional barriers were noted, including lower awareness of NHS Health Checks (including eligibility and that they are free), language barriers, and a preference among some for home-based testing or healthcare systems in their home country.