Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of clinical commissioning groups have added pulse checks to existing GP and pharmacy enhanced services for people over 65.

This information is not held by the Department or NHS England, as general practitioner (GP) and pharmacy contracts do not mandate pulse checks as part of the existing GP and pharmacy enhanced services for people over 65.

However, in England all local authorities are required to offer the NHS Health Check programme, with the large majority commissioning general practice to provide them on their behalf. Between 2014 and 2018 more than 15 million people aged 40-74 will be eligible for an NHS Health Check. The programme’s best practice guidance recommends that a pulse check is carried out as part of the process of taking a blood pressure reading, and those individuals who are found to have an irregular pulse rhythm should be referred for further investigation.