The NHS mid-life MOT could be moved on-line to help reduce pressure on practices, it was reported today.

Under a pilot scheme being launched in Cornwall, patients get a kit to take a blood sample at home and visit a pharmacy for their blood pressure check. The remainder of the health check up would be completed using on-line questionnaires.

Public health minister Neil O’Brien said: “The health check is crucial in preventing and identifying potentially life-threatening conditions, and this digital version will do just that while making patients’ lives easier and reducing pressure on frontline services.”

Royal College of GPs chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne said: “This initiative has potential to encourage people to take more of an active interest in their own health. We expect to see a robust evaluation of this initiative, before further decisions to roll it out more widely are made. It also needs to address concerns around the potential for causing unnecessary worry for patients who may not know how to interpret their findings, practice staffing implications regarding the running, interpretation and explanation of tests, and additions to GP workload.”