Diabetes UK: Health checks are 'vital' for diagnosis

The chair of the Royal College of GPs, has said health checks offered to millions of people over 40 are a waste of time and the government is promoting its NHS Health Check programme "against good evidence".

Dr Clare Gerada's comments came after The Times newspaper published a letter from Danish researchers criticising the programme.

However, the chief executive of Diabetes UK, Barbara Young, told the BBC the checks were vital in diagnosing diabetes, and scrapping them would be unacceptable.