Self Assessment FAQ

If you are having difficulty accessing your self-assessment, this may be down to a variety of reasons, including:

  • Your device may be set to block cookies. For the self-assessment to work, cookies need to be enabled. You will need to alter this in your device settings in order to access the tool
  • Your date of birth (DOB) may be listed with your project lead incorrectly. If so, the self-assessment would be expecting a different DOB to what you may be entering. To alter this, you would need to get in touch with your local provider directly (see “How can I find out more from the people running this project?” FAQ)
  • You may be using an internet browser that is not supported. Self-assessment has been tested and functions effectively using up-to-date versions of any of the following internet browsers:
    • Google Chrome
    • Edge
    • Firefox
    • Safari
  • Self assessment is designed to be responsive to many different devices and screen sizes. It supports a minimum viewpoint width of 320 pixels which is the equivalent of an iPhone 5
  • If you are using a device that doesn’t support the minimum width you can copy the link to use on a tablet; laptop; or desktop computer

Measuring and recording medical information at home is subject to limitations in accuracy. You should bear in mind the considerations detailed in the questions below when inputting your readings and answers.

  • Measure height and weight without shoes
  • Measure height with heels against the wall/scale
  • Don’t use an old height reading, adults can get shorter with age
  • Accuracy and precision of home or bathroom weighing scales can be variable
  • Your BMI can indicate if you’re too heavy for your height but cannot tell the difference between excess fat, muscle or bone.
  • Adult BMI does not take into account age, gender or muscle mass. This means:
    • very muscular adults and athletes may be classed “overweight” or “obese” even though their body fat is low
    • adults who lose muscle as they get older may fall into the “healthy weight” range even though they may be carrying excess fat
    • Pregnancy will affect a woman’s BMI. If pregnant, you should use your pre-pregnancy weight when calculating your BMI
    • If you have an eating disorder, the BMI calculator results do not apply. Please do seek further advice from your health professional
  • BP monitors for home use may be less accurate than medically approved devices
  • Monitors with upper-arm cuffs are generally more accurate than wrist cuff devices
  • The position of the cuff on your arm, position of the monitor and your posture can all affect the reading
  • Relax for several minutes after exertion, before taking a reading
  • You may have a different blood pressure reading in each arm
  • Ideally avoid taking BP if you’ve just exercised, had caffeinated drinks or alcohol.
  • Always follow the manufactures instructions
  • You can enter a home test result or a recent venous cholesterol result, if known
  • The accuracy of cholesterol testing at home depends on the make and type of device. Many factors affect the accuracy of cholesterol testing:
  • Temperature and conditions of storage of the test media
  • The correct sample volume
  • Correct finger-stick technique
  • Cleanliness of your finger
  • Operating temperature
  • Time between taking a sample and starting the measurement
  • Always follow the manufactures instructions
  • TC means ‘total cholesterol’ and HDL is your ‘good’ cholesterol reading
  • The NHS activity questionnaire (GPPAQ) determines whether you do 150mins of moderate activity a week
  • Your activity score is calculated using your role (job type or unpaid role), your sport activity and cycling only. Therefore walking, housework, DIY, childcare and gardening, which are very important, do not contribute to your score in the questionnaire. This is because the level of exertion is very variable
  • The limited list of job descriptions makes assumptions about role-related activity levels. This means:
  • If your role as a ‘carer’ is physically strenuous, click the ‘nurse’ option
  • If you’re ‘retired’ and work an allotment regularly, click the ‘gardener’ option
  • Apply this flexibility to your own circumstances
  • Units of alcohol are NOT measured in glasses of wine or half-pints of beer
  • One ‘unit’ of alcohol is 10mL of pure alcohol
  • The units in a drink depend on the ‘strength’ – the percentage alcohol by volume (%) shown on the label
  • The volume (in litres) multiplied by strength gives the units. Examples:
    • 175mL (pub glass) of 12% wine is 0.175L X 12 = 2.2 units
    • A pint (0.568L) of 4% beer is 2.3 units
    • A pint of premium 5.5% ale is 3.1 units
  • Answer honestly to receive accurate results and meaningful advice

The managers of your local health check programme have set various levels at which someone will be invited for further follow-up. There is not one set level at which such an invite is triggered; this depends on local decision-making. If any one of the configured levels is passed, you will receive a message inviting you to take next steps. If you do not see a message inviting you to take next steps, it is because you have not tripped the set threshold.

Our digital services include electronic controls, conforming to the highest NHS standards, so that the only people who have access to your information are the people who are offering you the opportunity to attend a health service and the people who will perform the service should you attend. There may be a requirement for employees of Health Diagnostics to see data for the purpose of maintenance or if required as part of an audit. Any access to data by our employees is controlled by strict governance processes and auditing. This ensures your data remains safe.

To find out more, contact the local administrators of your service. These contact details can be accessed via the self-assessment platform. Simply click the icon in the bottom right of the screen’s footer to find out how you can get in touch with your local project administrator. These details are different for each project, which is why a single source cannot be provided here.

To delete your data, get in touch with your local project administrator and let them know about your preference. They will be able to delete any details and results associated with the health check programme (see “How can I find out more from the people running this project?” FAQ)

Absolutely not. We support bona fide health and social care organisations only for the purpose of your personal health care.

Of course. These are available at our website: www.healthdiagnostics.co.uk. You can also access them at the following links: