NHS Health Checks succeed when communication, timing and booking all line up. Local authorities can run strong public campaigns and set clear prevention priorities, but uptake ultimately rises when practices reinforce those messages with well timed, well targeted communication that patients find easy to act on.
That coordination is where many areas lose momentum. Messages go out, invitations are sent, and searches are run, but the overall experience for patients feels disconnected. People see general awareness online, then receive a generic SMS weeks later, then hit a booking flow that takes effort to complete.
The key is not more messaging. It is consistent, population aligned communication between public health teams and practices, backed by booking routes that match the message.
The signal is strongest when public health and practice messaging align
People make decisions based on what they see repeatedly and what feels personally relevant. Public health campaigns set context and create awareness. Practices convert this into action because the message comes from a trusted place and because the next step is clear. The most effective areas combine both.
- A public health campaign that builds recognition and normalises attendance.
- Practice messages that arrive at the right moment and feel personal.
- A booking option that works immediately and without friction.
This combination outperforms any individual channel on its own.
What effective practice communication looks like now
Practices already carry out outreach, but the approaches that shift uptake today look different from the approaches that worked five years ago. Populations behave differently online, attention spans are shorter, and patients expect clarity and simplicity.
Several elements consistently make a difference.
Social media that fits local population patterns
Short bursts of targeted posts, written in everyday language and supported by simple graphics or clips, reach groups that ignore traditional invitations. They work best when timed alongside practice SMS activity.
SMS that guides action rather than repeats information
Small changes to wording materially improve response, particularly when:
- the benefit is clear
- the action is simple
- the message reads like a reminder rather than a broadcast
AI explainers that remove uncertainty
For many patients, the barrier is not refusal but uncertainty. Short AI avatar explainers linked from SMS or social posts help reduce hesitation and improve understanding of what the Health Check involves.
Booking that matches the promise in the message
Motivation disappears quickly. Online slots must be visible. The flow must be short. The route must be obvious. When this aligns with the communication, uptake moves faster.
These techniques do not replace existing outreach. They sharpen it.
What is emerging from recent programmes
Across recent prevention work, similar patterns have appeared.
- Areas that coordinate local authority messaging with practice recall see faster increases in completed checks.
- Practices engage more readily when given ready-to-use content, project support and clear timing recommendations.
- Digital tools only deliver value when placed into a realistic communication sequence, not treated as standalone fixes.
Lancashire provides a strong example of this. We supported Lancashire County Council to run a focused Health Check improvement programme across five practices, built around structured communication, improved timing and clearer outreach. Early findings are encouraging, with more than 40 percent additional completed Health Checks delivered over a 12 week period compared with the same period last year.
The programme has also been recognised nationally. Dr Sakthi Karunanithi was awarded the Innovative Practice Award by the Association of Directors of Public Health for this work, reflecting the strength of the programme’s approach and the impact it has had on improving Health Check uptake in a relatively short period of time. You can find more information here.
A full case study and webinar outlining details of the programme will be shared early next year once the evaluation stage has completed.
