Core Health in more detail
| Total duration: 60 minutes (conducted by a health adviser) |
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Bupa Centres offering Core Health: We have 46 Bupa Centres across the UK offering Bupa Core Health. Remember, you don't need to be a Bupa member to have a Bupa Health Assessment. |
This includes the results of all tests available on the day, along with a personal health profile and action plan suggesting changes to maintain and improve your health in the future.
This test works out how much of your body is made up of fat and how much is lean tissue, such as muscle and bone. A healthy proportion of body fat depends on your age and gender.
Combined with a BMI measurement this can indicate what the best healthy weight for you is. Excess body fat can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers.
Your height will be measured and you will be weighed. These measurements are useful when combined and compared with other tests.
This is a measure of the degree to which fat is stored around the middle. It is calculated by dividing your waist measurement by your height.
The way the body fat is distributed is important. People who have body fat stored mainly around the abdomen have a higher risk of developing heart disease and diabetes than people with the same amount of body fat stored mainly around the hips and thighs.
Blood pressure tends to rise with age and because it rarely causes symptoms, you may not know when it is high. This is why it is important for adults to check it regularly.
A higher than normal blood pressure means that the heart has to work harder to push blood along. Over the long term, hypertension (high blood pressure) is associated with an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney failure.
Read more about high blood pressure on our health information site
This calculated score estimates the risk of having a heart attack within the next ten years and is calculated by the doctor using a widely accepted algorithm that takes account of your age, sex, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, presence of diabetes and whether you smoke or not.
The development of heart disease depends on a number of risk factors and management and control of these risk factors can decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Read more about the cardiovascular system on our health information site
Cholesterol is transported around your body attached to a protein in your blood. This combination of fat and protein is called a lipoprotein. There are different types of lipoprotein, depending on how much fat there is in relation to protein.
Having high cholesterol affects your heart and blood vessels and increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Visit our health information site to learn more about high cholesterol
Diabetes is a condition in which the body is unable to regulate the level of glucose (a type of sugar) in the blood. According to Diabetes UK, it is estimated that up to half a million people in the UK have diabetes without their knowing†.
A raised glucose level may indicate diabetes. Diabetes can usually be controlled with diet, exercise or medicines, but if poorly controlled, it increases the risk of problems such as heart disease and strokes, nerve damage and blindness.
Diabetes is becoming more common, and can lead to many other conditions including premature heart disease and stroke.
This is a simple questionnaire looking at areas of your lifestyle that may increase your risk of diabetes.
Our call centre staff have access to appointments at all of our centres throughout the country. They will be therefore able to help identify suitable appointments at a number of centres.
Clinical governance
Clinical governance is defined as "a framework of responsibility and accountability, that continuously measures, monitors and improves the safety and quality of all clinical services, (whether directly provided or funded) and differentiates the quality of clinical services Bupa provides and funds promoting optimal patient/customer health outcomes and clinical excellence".
It requires that as an organisation we have:
We are registered with the Healthcare Commission
This organisation requires that all our procedures and policies place the client as the most important stakeholder, and that we ensure client safety at all times through clear policies and procedures.
Bupa Centres are regulated and audited by the Healthcare Commission. A copy of the latest inspection reports is available from:
Healthcare Commission PVH
Finsbury Towers
103-105 Bunhill Row
London EC1Y 8TG
Our doctors and health advisers
We choose our doctors carefully; normally they will have been qualified for at least five years and have a broad background of medical experience. Most will have a higher degree – MRCGP, MRCP or equivalent. All will have undergone a training programme to familiarise them with the concept of health assessment and Bupa protocols. All are subject to an initial three-month appraisal and then annual appraisals thereafter, with regular notes audits and report checks.
Our health advisers are either qualified nurses or exercise physiologists, all of whom have undergone a two-week full time training programme in performing health assessments. This includes training on the impact of nutrition and diet, alcohol consumption, exercise programming and the benefits of exercise, and the effects of smoking on health. They too are subject to ongoing performance appraisals.
We have a robust complaints policy
We are always pleased to hear about aspects of our service that you have particularly appreciated. We also want to hear about any problems you have experienced, so that we can deal with them speedily and improve our service for the future.
If something goes wrong, here's a simple procedure to ensure that your concerns are dealt with quickly and effectively. If you have a complaint about any aspect of our service, we would like to address this straightaway. If possible therefore, please speak to a member of staff at the centre. All centres have a complaints handler who has had specific training. Or you may prefer to talk to the centre manager.
If we cannot satisfactorily resolve your concern there and then and you wish to make a complaint by telephone or in writing, please call or write to the centre manager.
We will aim to give you a written acknowledgement of your complaint within 24 hours of receipt. A full response will be made within 20 working days. All complaints are dealt with confidentially and impartially.
If required, your complaint will be referred to the regional manager and may be escalated to the managing director.
We keep a record of every complaint and look at how many we receive and the reasons. We use this information along with our customer surveys to help make sure we continually improve the service we provide.
This procedure does not affect your legal rights.
We currently operate under the guidelines of the ISO9001:2000 quality management system. As part of this, we operate a stringent clinical standards policy with full internal audit of all procedures. All non-clinical staff also undergo regular appraisal through the Bupa Positive Performance Management process.
Availability of tests
Due to the prevalence of some diseases on older people some tests are only offered to individuals of a certain age or gender or if clinically indicated (click on the test to see if restrictions apply). For medical reasons, some tests may occasionally be omitted and this will be explained on the day.
*Please note that calls may be recorded and may be monitored.
Health Assessments are not available to under 18's.
Bupa Centres and the health assessments offered at each Bupa Centre may vary from time to time.
†Source: Diabetes UK, March 2010
For more information or to book your discounted assessment please call
quoting H0100. Lines are open 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 1pm on Saturday.
Bupa Essential Health offers a head-to-toe assessment that includes up to 25 minutes consultation with a Bupa doctor.