Patients will do DIY health checks from home to ease pressure on GPs | The Sun

PATIENTS will do DIY health checks from home in a government bid to free up GP appointments.

One million digital tests are set to be done each year to help spot early signs of strokes and heart disease.

Under the rollout Brits will input routine metrics like blood pressure and BMI into an app which will be sent to the NHS.

If concerns are raised they will then be sent to a GP for further tests and treatment.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay says the programme – to kick in next spring – will save 20 minutes of NHS time.

He said: “Thousands of heart attacks and strokes could be prevented every year through simple health checks, which would save lives and ease pressure on the NHS.

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“This new digital check-up will mean people can do simple tests and get tailored advice from homes while reducing pressure on GP services.”

Ministers hope the digi checks will help prevent around 400 heart attacks and strokes over the first four years.

Meanwhile a Policy Exchange report found the equivalent of 15million GP appointments were being wasted by pointless admin.

It blamed the breakdown in shifting patients from primary to secondary care which is seeing GPs do mundane bureaucracy.

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