JLR to offer NHS health checks

Jaguar Land Rover worker Anthony Beet welcomed the initiative

Jaguar Land Rover is among businesses offering NHS health checks to its workers.

A pilot government programme, involving several large businesses, aims to reach 130,000 people across the country to identify health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, which may have gone unnoticed.

Public health minister, Andrew Gwynne, said the scheme would help reach those who did not routinely come to the NHS. Some men might not seek medical advice "unless literally a limb is half hanging off," he said.

At the moment, uptake of health checks is low with only 40% of those invited for an NHS health check going on to a complete a test, the government said. JLR has sites across the UK including Solihull and Wolverhampton.

Public health minister, Andrew Gwynne (left) visited the Solihull site to speak to workers including operations director Russell Leslie

Workers including Anthony Beet at the company's Solihull site welcomed the programme.

"It gives you the opportunity if anything is wrong to get it sorted out before it becomes a big problem," he said.

An exercise programme at the site had also helped him recover from a prolapsed disc, he explained.

"I've got five kids back at home so I want to keep my health as good as I can.

"I wouldn't want to leave them in the lurch," he added.

The Department of Health and Social Care said the programme would save thousands of hours of valuable NHS time and cut waiting lists.

Jaguar Land Rover is among the businesses taking part in the scheme, which it said fitted well with the initiatives they have.

"Healthy employees are happy employees, those things come hand in hand," the company added.

Businesses in local authority areas including Birmingham, Walsall, Shropshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Herefordshire will also be taking part in the programme.