Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure early (a) screening and (b) diagnosis for chronic kidney disease.

Early diagnosis is crucial for people with long-term conditions like chronic kidney disease in accessing timely treatment, preventing deterioration, and improving survival rates. The NHS Health Check programme aims to detect and prevent conditions like heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease among adults aged between 40 and 74 years old, and engages over 1.4 million people a year.

The Department is already developing a digital version of the check to provide a more accessible and convenient service for people. The NHS Health Check Online service will be piloted in three local authorities from spring 2025 for six months, with the aim of being rolled out nationally from spring 2026, delivering approximately one million checks in the first four years.

The Elective Recovery Plan, published in January 2025, also set out measures to improve diagnostic capacity and access.

More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all support the early detection and faster treatment of chronic kidney disease.