Have you made improving your health a top priority for 2018? Well you can now undergo a free lifestyle check WITHOUT the need of booking an appointment after the installation of a digital health kiosk in St Helens town centre.
Located in the Smokefree St Helens Hub in the Hardshaw Shopping Centre, a static ‘Wellpoint’ health kiosk asks users several questions about their lifestyle habits before allowing them to find out their main vitals such as weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, blood pressure and heart rate, with results produced instantly.
At the end of the assessment, Wellpoint will indicate how likely the user is to develop heart disease in the next 10 years and offers tips and advice on how health and wellbeing can be improved.
Results are recorded into a personal profile which can be accessed online or on a smartphone each time the health kiosk is visited, and users can record and track their results.
Speaking after testing out the Wellpoint kiosk, St Helens Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing Councillor Gill Neal said: “For many, the thought of having a health check can be a daunting prospect in case something unbeknown to us is discovered, like obesity or high blood pressure.
“However, our health is the most valuable thing we as human beings can possess and therefore it’s better to catch these conditions early rather than run the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.
“It’s encouraging to hear that over 450 people have already used the kiosk since it was introduced in the autumn of last year, and I would urge anyone who is out and about in St Helens town centre to call into the Smokefree St Helens Hub to have a go. After all, it takes less than five minutes to complete and you don’t need to be registered to the Smokefree St Helens service to use it.”
Wellpoint is available to use during the Smokefree St Helens Hub’s opening hours which are 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am – 2pm on Saturdays.
A mobile unit can also be hired by local businesses and organisations, free of charge, for up to four weeks to allow employees the opportunity to screen their health.
Businesses and organisations looking to get involved are invited to contact St Helens Council’s Head of Public Health Commissioning, Matt Davies, by calling 01744 671279 or by emailing MattDavies@Sthelens.gov.uk
If you’re aged between 40-74 with no pre-existing conditions, you may be eligible for a free full NHS Health Check. Contact your General Practice or the Healthy Living Team on 0300 300 0103 to find out more.
Main photo – Councillor Gill Neal tries out the Wellpoint health kiosk, with assistance from Smokefree St Helens Service Manager, Julie Tipton.
