MyHealthCounts
Case study
Nigel, a semi-retired 59-year-old policyholder, was one of the first to sign up for MyHealthCounts and have a pharmacy health check. We asked him how he found the process. Here’s his story.
"I was aware that I had put on weight in the last few years since I stopped smoking, but apart from that I felt fine. I thought I’d try MyHealthCounts because I wanted to have a better understanding of my health, but I wasn’t sure what I would get in return for answering all the questions. My first Q Score told me I’m overweight. I’ve never had a cholesterol test before and I don’t know my blood pressure, so I decided to have a pharmacy screen to find out my exact stats.
My stats were shocking! I was clinically obese, my blood pressure was borderline high and my cholesterol 6.68, which is also high. The pharmacist was great. He advised me to contact my GP and told me that the system would automatically update my Q Score with information I could show to my doctor. When I got home I checked online and found that my Q Score was only 45 and that I was at high risk of heart disease because my cholesterol was so high - the system automatically provided me with a referral letter for my GP. The system also says I should be able to score 85 if I lose weight, exercise and get my cholesterol down.
I decided to book an appointment with my GP - which is very rare for me! I printed out the referral letter and took it with me. My GP sent me for further blood tests to look at my cholesterol levels. Without MyHealthCounts I would never have known the risks. I decided to change my diet as I don’t want high cholesterol and I’ve since bought a cross trainer to improve my exercise. After two months I went back to my GP who confirmed that my cholesterol level has dropped. Now my wife wants to find out her health status too."