HEALTH bosses at Lancashire County Council are urging people to get themselves checked out by their GP.

New free NHS health checks are available to anyone aged between 40 and 74, who has not been diagnosed with a vascular disease and is not being treated for certain risk factors.

The programme aims to prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease, and targets the top seven causes of preventable death: high blood pressure, smoking, cholesterol, obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity and alcohol consumption.

Around 352,000 people in Lancashire are eligible for a check every five years.

County Councillor Azhar Ali, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “By encouraging people to go for a health check with their GP we will ensure that life-shortening conditions are picked up earlier, which will mean people in Lancashire have more years of quality life to spend with their families.

“Not all GPs are offering these checks at the moment but we are working hard to ensure that they will eventually be available to everyone who is eligible across the county.”