Online self-help
For a one-stop guide to improving your health, visit the NHS Better Health website. This offers information, tools and support for the following areas of health and wellbeing:
- maintaining a healthy weight
- quitting smoking
- moving more and getting active
- cutting down on alcohol
- boosting your mental health
Get support
There is a lot of specialist help and support available in our local area, or online via the NHS, to help you achieve your health goals.
Visit the NHS Live Well page for more advice on healthy living.
A free NHS Health Check is available to adults in England aged 40 to 74, via your GP surgery. It can help spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia. Even if you’re feeling well, it’s worth having your NHS Health Check now, so you can lower your chances of developing these health problems in the future.
Read more about what's involved
Everyone aged 40 to 74 who has not had a stroke or does not already have a pre-existing health condition will be invited for a NHS Health Check once every five years.
It takes about 20 – 30 minutes and includes simple tests to check cholesterol, blood pressure and BMI. You will receive the results of these tests at the check and be told what they mean for you. Some people may have to have an additional blood test depending on their results.
You will get personalised advice on how to lower your risk and maintain a healthy lifestyle, and you may get treatment or medication to help you maintain your health.
The B&NES Wellness Service offers free local programmes for adults, face-to-face, via an app, or online, to support you to achieve your goals. You can browse available courses at our portal, here.
Local programmes available include support to lose weight, to quit smoking, to get more active, and to look after your mental health. The Wellness Service also provides free programmes on food and health to support parents and children with healthy eating.
Call free on 0300 247 0050 to talk to a wellbeing advisor.
You can also sign up for free courses and activities to support your physical and mental health via the B&NES Wellbeing College.
Assess, or reduce, your risk
If you want to know your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, use the diabetes risk self-assessment tool.
It’s important to know if you are at risk of type 2 diabetes so you can get support to lower your risk. You may even be eligible for our free local Healthier You diabetes prevention programme.
Manage or improve your condition
Free local support to manage type 2 diabetes is available.
If you have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you can get free NHS support online to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. If you're prepared to make a long-term commitment, ask your doctor if you're eligible for the year-long Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme.
You may also want to look at other resources and contacts to help with weight loss and getting active, in the section on moving more and maintaining a healthy weight below.
If you smoke, quitting is the single best thing you can do to improve your health.
Never give up giving up. Making multiple quit smoking attempts is normal. The key is not to give up, the more you try, the closer you are to quitting smoking for good. Try different combinations until you find the one that works for you.
Swapping to vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking. It is one of the most effective tools for quitting smoking. There are no circumstances where it is better for you to keep smoking. You can get support and advice if you'd like to switch from cigarettes to vaping (e-cigs). The local Swap to Stop programme is in partnership with HCRG, our local stop smoking service. It provides you with a FREE vape starter kit alongside professional support to increase your chances of quitting for good.
To sign up to Swap to Stop, and claim your FREE vape starter kit, please get in touch with our local stop smoking service, freephone the Community Wellbeing Hub on 0300 247 0050 or email hcrg.swaptostopbanes@nhs.net.
Willpower alone might not be enough to quit smoking. You’re three times more likely to quit smoking and stay smoke free if you use a local stop smoking service, who can make it easy and more affordable for you to get stop smoking treatments, such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).
If you live, work, or are registered with a GP in Bath and North East Somerset, and are aged 12 years and over, you can use the Local Stop Smoking Service. It's a free, confidential service offering support and advice to help you quit, or cut down the amount that you smoke. You can also get support and advice if you'd like to switch from cigarettes to vaping (e-cigs). Contact the service through the Community Wellbeing Hub on freephone at 0300 247 0050 or by emailing bathnes.thehub@hcrgcaregroup.com
You can visit the NHS website to find out more about treatments to help you stop smoking. The NHS Better Health site also provides advice, tools and tips for quitting. Local GPs and pharmacies can also support you to stop smoking.
Specific support for pregnant women is available through the Health in Pregnancy service from Royal United Hospitals Bath. Speak to your midwife for more information.
Find more information on our Livewell Smoking and Vaping page.
Come and talk to us
Our Public Health team, in partnership with HCRG Care Group, will be out in the community offering friendly conversations, a free vape starter kit, and ongoing support to help you on your quit journey. The table below shows the locations we will be visiting.
| Date and time | Location |
|---|---|
| Thursday 30 January 2025, 10am to 2pm | Public Health bus, Bath City Football Club |
| Tuesday 11th February 2025, 9am to 11am | Keynsham Leisure Centre |
| Tuesday 18th February 2025, 4pm to 7pm | Bath Leisure Centre |
| Sunday 6th July 2025, 12pm- 4pm | Community fun day, Odd Down Sports Ground |
If you have any opportunities for our team to attend an in-person event or a location, please get in touch by emailing public_health@bathnes.gov.uk.
Free programmes to help with weight management and getting active
If you would like support to maintain a healthy weight, you can talk to your GP or contact the B&NES Wellness Service, who will guide you through the local options available.
For extra help with managing healthy eating and weight issues for the whole family, visit our Get support for parents and carers webpage.
You may also qualify for our Passport to Health service, giving you a referral for free access to leisure and exercise activities.
Council-run or funded facilities
Visit our webpage to find local sports and leisure facilities.
If you enjoy tennis, you can find out more about council-supported facilities available at several of Bath's parks: Excel Tennis or Tennis @ the Park.
Royal Victoria Park also has facilities for golf and footgolf. Visit the Future Golf Ventures website to find out more.
Use this tool to compare your real age to your heart age. Your heart age gives you an idea of how healthy your heart is.
Visit our dedicated sections of this website, if you're looking for support with any of these other health-related issues: