Haverhill chosen as site of new clinic run by major research study, Our Future Health

A new clinic where members of the public can receive a free health check is launching next week in Haverhill.

Our Future Health, the UK’s largest health research programme, is bringing its mobile clinic to the Tesco car park in Cangle Road, Haverhill, from May 19 to 30 - and appointments can be made now by anyone willing to become a volunteer.

The programme aims to transform the prevention, detection and treatment of conditions such as dementia, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, asthma and stroke.

With up to five million volunteers right across the UK, the goal is to create one of the most detailed pictures ever of people’s health.

At their clinic appointment, as well as having a blood sample and some physical measurements taken, volunteers will be offered information about their own health, including their blood pressure.

In the future, volunteers will also be given the option to receive feedback about their risk of some diseases and have the opportunity to take part in cutting-edge research studies.

Our Future Health is sending invitation letters to people who live near the new clinics. However, you don’t need an invitation to take part.

Anyone over the age of 18 can join by signing up online, completing an online health questionnaire, and booking a short clinic appointment.

Even if you don’t live near an Our Future Health clinic, you can still be part of the programme. By signing up and completing the questionnaire, you’ll be providing researchers with valuable health information, such as ethnicity and family history of diseases, which is essential for building a better understanding of health in the UK.

Dr Raghib Ali, chief executive and chief medical officer of Our Future Health, said: “We’ve already seen over 2.4 million people sign up to take part in our programme.

“By donating their health information, our volunteers are providing researchers with the data they need to make new discoveries about health.

“Volunteering for Our Future Health means you are part of the answer to better prevention, detection and treatment of diseases.

“If you’ve never done anything like this before, you’re exactly who we need to take part.”

Our Future Health is rolling out on a region-by-region basis to invite adults across the UK to join the programme.

Volunteers who don’t live near a location where Our Future Health appointments are currently available can join now at ourfuturehealth.org.uk and be notified when new appointment locations become available.

New locations will be announced on the website and social media channels.

Our Future Health is a collaboration between the public, charity and private sectors to build the UK’s largest health research programme – bringing people together to develop new ways to prevent, detect and treat diseases.

Partners are Action Against Age-related Macular Degeneration, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Asthma + Lung UK, Blood Cancer UK, Brain Tumour Research, Breast Cancer Now, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, DEBRA, Diabetes UK, Fight for Sight, Glaucoma UK, Kidney Research UK, LifeArc, Macular Society, MQ, Pancreatic Cancer UK, Parkinson’s UK, Prostate Cancer Research, Prostate Cancer UK, Rosetrees, Royal Osteoporosis Society, Stroke Association, and Versus Arthritis.

Our Future Health was set up with funding from the UKRI Accelerating Detection of Disease Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK.