When James first received a health check from local charity Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS) through his workplace NIE back in 2022, little did he know the check would alert him to the fact that he was at increased risk of heart illness in his future.
Well Checks, a comprehensive health check offered by NICHS for workplaces and communities, assess and check for cardiovascular risk factors such as atrial fibrillation, blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as looking at weight, body fat and lifestyle factors. These checks aim to empower people to make informed and manageable lifestyle changes.
When NIE first booked in checks for their workforce in 2022, James was one of the staff who availed of these.
James says, “I knew I was a bit overweight and that I wasn't really eating well, but as many people do, I buried my head in the sand. When we offered health checks through work from NICHS, I thought I would go along. The check told me my blood pressure was high and my cholesterol was also a cause for concern. I don't think any of it was particularly good! At the end of the health check, you get a full report which tells you what your chances are of a heart attack may be in the next 10 years, and mine was around ten or twenty percent. Afterwards everybody in the office was talking, asking each other how did you get on? Funny, in work that morning we were talking about our pensions, and after my health check I joked that given my chances of a heart attack in the next ten years, I didn’t need to worry about my pension as my check said I’s probably not be around for it anyway!”
“I made a joke of it, but as the days went on, it stuck in my head. I realised I should really try to improve my health and make a few changes.”
James began to make small, steady changes to his lifestyle. “I started trying to eat better and cut out junk food, bit by bit. It wasn’t an overnight thing. I just tried each day to be a little bit better. I was sitting in the house at the weekends, and wasn't doing any physical activity so I thought what could I do? I decided to take up golf. I started noticing myself losing weight and over time I felt better.”
A year later in 2023, NIE invited the NICHS team back to provide health checks once again.
James continues, “When I went to my second health check this year, I had lost over 10 kilos in weight. My blood pressure was better, my cholesterol was better as well, and everything seemed to have improved. I credit it to that health check for giving me the motivation and perspective and putting my health at the forefront of my mind. If I hadn't had that check, I wouldn’t have taken those steps and made those changes off my own back. It gave me that motivation to improve my health and get more active.”
He adds, “You’re given a report at the end of the check, so you're able to compare your progress to last year, which gives you much more motivation to continue on and even try to do a bit more, bit by bit. In my follow up check, my chance of a heart attack in the next ten years had gone down to five percent, so seeing that was great.”
Fidelma Carter, Director of Public Health at Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke, says, “Regular health checks can help detect the early warning signs associated with developing chest, heart and stroke conditions, which is why we offer Well Checks packages for organisations and their employees. There are many reasons to invest in the health and wellbeing of your staff. It can have long-lasting benefits on your organisation, as a happy, healthy workforce means fewer illness-related financial losses.”
“We’re delighted that James has been empowered by his health check to take control of his health and make small changes to his lifestyle that have made a big impact on his heart health.”
To find out more about the wide range of health and wellbeing support we can provide for your workplace or organisation, visit www.nichs.org.uk/prevention-services/workplaces
