Healthcare professionals attending the Norfolk and Suffolk Health and Care Expo had the opportunity to access free digital health checks, demonstrating how preventative health can be brought into everyday environments. The results highlighted that hidden cardiovascular risk remains common – even among those working in health and care. Among those taking part was television presenter Michaela Strachan, who stopped by to experience the station for herself.
These health check stations are already being used across Suffolk in community venues, workplaces and other accessible settings to help people understand their cardiovascular risk earlier and take action before serious illness develops.
By bringing health checks closer to where people live and work, the NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board is helping to remove barriers to prevention, reach people who may not routinely engage with healthcare services, and support earlier identification of high blood pressure, obesity and other risk factors linked to cardiovascular disease.
Preventive health checks at the region’s biggest health and care event
More than 1,500 professionals, volunteers, community organisations and partners came together at the Norfolk and Suffolk Health and Care Expo to share best practice, showcase innovation and celebrate excellence across the region’s health and care system.
As part of the event, visitors could complete a free digital health check using a SISU MINI, experiencing first-hand how self-service health technology can help identify cardiovascular risk factors in just a few minutes.
Jenny Lawton, Neighbourhood Development Manager at NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board, said:
Many people do not routinely access health services, so bringing checks into a familiar and accessible environment created an opportunity to identify potential health issues earlier and encourage people to take a more proactive approach to their health.
Hidden health risks remain common
Although the Expo brought together people working across health and care, the results highlighted that hidden cardiovascular risk factors remain common.
Many healthcare workers forget that they also need to look after their own wellbeing, so having the SISU MINI there helped people to easily check in with themselves.
Across the health checks completed during the event (median age: 45):
- 37.5% of participants recorded high blood pressure
- 50% were overweight or living with obesity
The findings reinforce an important message: understanding health risks isn’t just relevant for patients. Many cardiovascular risk factors develop without obvious symptoms, making routine health checks an important part of prevention for everyone.
Most people that I spoke to had never checked their blood pressure before and were surprised at how quick and easy it was to take. There was a running theme of people not knowing what ‘normal’ blood pressure was, so they liked the explanation that the machine provided.
They also reflect the direction set out in NHS England’s recently published Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework, which places earlier identification of cardiovascular risk at the heart of the NHS’s long-term prevention strategy. The framework calls for health systems to identify people at risk sooner, reduce health inequalities and expand prevention through community-based, digitally enabled approaches.
By making health checks quick, convenient and available in everyday environments, organisations can help more people identify potential risks earlier, encourage positive lifestyle changes and support appropriate follow-up where needed.
Michaela Strachan experiences a digital health check
Television presenter and conservationist Michaela Strachan also completed her health check and learned more about the importance of regularly monitoring your key health metrics.
Michaela was talking about how great the machine was, how easy it was to use and how important it is to test your blood pressure.
Bringing prevention to more people
The Expo provided an opportunity for delegates not only to experience preventive health technology themselves but also to explore how similar approaches can be used within workplaces, community venues and other everyday settings to reach people who may not routinely engage with traditional healthcare services.
Solutions like the SISU MINI play an important role in supporting the ICB’s focus on prevention. By providing instant insights into key health indicators such as blood pressure, body composition and heart health, it helps individuals understand their current health status and identify potential risks at an early stage.
This supports a shift from reacting to illness to preventing it before it develops or worsens. Technologies like the SISU MINI enable more people to access health assessments, understand their risks and take action sooner, contributing to improved population health outcomes and reducing health inequalities across our communities.
Supporting healthier communities through prevention
The Norfolk and Suffolk Health and Care Expo demonstrated how collaboration, innovation and prevention can work together to improve population health.
By bringing preventative health checks into large-scale health and care events, organisations can help start conversations about cardiovascular health, encourage people to know their numbers and support earlier action to reduce the risk of future disease.
As health systems continue to shift towards earlier intervention and prevention, initiatives such as these show how accessible technology can help make health checks a routine part of everyday life.
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