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Mayor of Camden Omar Faruque Ansari being tested at Greenlight Pharmacy in Drummond Street |
Mayor tries out ‘checks while you wait’
Free on-the-spot testing for ‘biggest killer’ l Diabetics and the poor among most at risk
EVERY day the Mayor of Camden walks for an hour around Talacre Gardens in Kentish Town.
Councillor Omar Faruque Ansari has to keep himself healthy because he has diabetes. He quit smoking four years ago and ensures he keeps his cholesterol levels extremely low with a balanced diet including lots of fruit and veg.
But on Thursday, the Lib Dem councillor learned he has a one-in-three chance of developing cardiovascular disease – (disease of the heart and circulation), Camden’s biggest killer, within the next 10 years.
The mayor was assessed at the Greenlight Pharmacy in Drummond Street, Euston.
He was promoting a free health check that processes patient data from a pinprick sample of blood while you wait at your local pharmacy.
The machine produces a digital health report that shows how likely a patient is to develop heart problems in the future and a detailed plan to improve their chances of survival.
Cllr Ansari said: “It is very important that people have regular health checks like this. I myself am quite a normal person.
“I have been a diabetic for a long time so I know to take care of myself. I’ve had fun today. I was told to have my five fruits a day and to go walking. My blood pressure is really good and my cholesterol levels are very, very good.”
Because of his diabetes Cllr Ansari is already known to the health service and would not normally have been given the health check.
The main aim of the assessment is to reach-out to people who do not normally visit their doctor but may be at risk because of the area of Camden they live in.
The scores can be adjusted in front of the patient to show how improving their lifestyle can improve their chances of survival.
Jeremy Cummin, from Telehealth Solutions, which created the health check machine, said: “The machine then generates goals for the patient. It can be adjusted in front of the patient to show what the difference would be if they stopped smoking. For example, it shows you have a 20 per cent chance of developing cardiovascular disease if you smoke, but a 10 per cent chance if you don’t, it might make you think more about giving up.”
The health checks are part of a wider move to bring health services out of hospitals and into community settings. Normally, blood tests are only available after booking an appointment with your GP and results often take days to come back.
The Primary Care Trust, which is commissioning the checks, is hoping the scheme will help bridge shocking “health inequalities” in Camden.
According to statistical research, people living in Hampstead live 10 years longer than those in Somers Town, Kilburn, Gospel Oak and Regent’s Park. Hampstead residents – many of whom live in spacious homes, eating nutritious foods and exercising on the Heath – live stress-free lives and as a result live longer.
People living in poorer wards, often in cramped conditions, work long hours and have poor diets. Black and minority ethnic (BME) residents in Camden are statistically more likely to develop cardiovascular disease.
The drop-in service is up and running in:
Fine Chemist, Queens Crescent; Evergreen Pharmacy, Eversholt Street; Aura Pharmacy, Brecknock Road; Greenfield, Kentish Town Road; Clockwork Pharmacy, Southampton Road; Greenlight Pharmacy, Drummond Street; Morrisons Chalk Farm; Rowlands Pharmacy, Malden Road. |
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