The Executive Decision meeting of Waltham Forest Council on Monday 16 March 2026 was scheduled to consider the recommissioning of the NHS Health Check programme. The meeting was held in private, with no public access.

NHS Health Check Programme

The meeting was scheduled to discuss the commissioning of the NHS Health Check (NHSHC) service, a mandated statutory public health service established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. This service, which has been commissioned by local authorities since 2013, involves a cardiovascular risk assessment offered every five years to adults aged 40 to 74 who do not have a pre-existing long-term condition. The programme aims to identify early signs of cardiovascular disease (CVD), encouraging lifestyle adjustments such as smoking cessation, weight management, and reduced alcohol consumption to improve long-term health.

The report pack indicated that the NHSHC service in Waltham Forest has been delivered by all 39 GP practices in the borough. This has been supplemented by contracts with the Waltham Forest Federated GP network (FedNet) to support practices lacking the capacity to deliver the checks, and a pilot programme through E4 Primary Care Network (PCN). All these delivery models have been effective in ensuring eligible residents have access to the service. In 2024/25, over 60% of eligible patients in Waltham Forest received a check, placing the borough among the top five in England for delivery.

The report pack outlined proposals for the direct award of NHSHC services contracts to Waltham Forest GPs and the Waltham Forest Federated GP network (FedNet). The proposed contracts would be for an initial two years, with annual extensions thereafter, for a total period of five years, commencing on 1 April 2026. The estimated total contract value over these five years is £1,300,000, with an annual budget of £260,000 for 2026/27.

The report pack stated that the Portfolio Lead Member for Adults and Health, Councillor Louise Mitchell, was recommended to approve the direct award of these contracts. The report highlighted that the NHSHC programme aligns with national priorities, including the government's ambition to increase healthy life expectancy by 2035 and narrow health inequalities, as well as the Department of Health's Major Conditions Strategy and the NHS Long Term Plan. Locally, the programme contributes to Mission Waltham Forest priorities, such as enabling residents to age well, and supports the North East London Integrated Care Partnership's focus on long-term conditions.

Consultation on the proposals included engagement with Primary Care Network leads, primary care leads within the Integrated Care Board, the Local Medical Committee, the GP Federation, and GP practices.

The report pack indicated that the proposals are to be funded entirely from the ring-fenced public health grant. The payment structure is a single tariff per completed NHSHC, which was described as representing good value for money when compared to other areas. The report also noted that the service is primarily delivered at GP surgeries, with most patients able to access them via active travel or public transport. The new service specification encourages the use of point-of-care testing to reduce appointments and the electronic referral to lifestyle services. The council will not hold or receive personal or patient-identifiable data, with only aggregated data provided quarterly. The Clinical Effectiveness Group (CEG), part of Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), will continue to support the provision of performance and payment dashboards under a separate contract.

The report pack also included guidance on Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPIs) and non-pecuniary interests, as well as advice from the Monitoring Officer on bias and pre-determination for councillors making decisions.