Men’s Health Event in Irvine Delivers Checks and Community Support

A men’s health and wellbeing event in Irvine has been praised as a success after dozens of local men came forward for free health checks and advice.

Organised by NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s Public Health team, the event was held at Fullerton Connexions last week and brought together local partners, healthcare teams and community organisations to offer support in an accessible community setting.

Men attending were able to receive a free health check including blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, BMI and heart rhythm tests.

More than 37 health checks were completed over the course of the afternoon, with both booked appointments and drop-in visitors taking part. Alongside this, colleagues from Healthcare Public Health and the Stroke Team also carried out an Atrial Fibrillation screening pilot, with more than 35 screening tests completed during the event.

Those who attended spoke positively about the experience and the value of having services available locally and outside normal working hours.

One man said: “Getting a free MOT was great!”

Another added: “It has been educational and everyone is really friendly. Being after hours is great as I couldn’t make it otherwise due to work.”

A third attendee said: “I’m here with my brother and son – we shared it on our family WhatsApp and encouraged each other to come along.”

Another man explained: “I wanted a health check due to a family history of heart problems – it was really good to be able to do that today.”

One attendee also highlighted the wider impact of the event, saying: “An event like this helps to rebuild trust in the NHS. Lots of people in recovery don’t access healthcare routinely and have often lost trust. Coming to where people are is great – this can only be a good thing.”

Lucy Brennan, Specialty Registrar in Public Health for NHS Ayrshire & Arran, said the event showed the benefit of partnership working and delivering healthcare support directly in the community.

She said: “The event has been a great success. I want to extend my thanks for all our partner organisations such as Oral Health Team, Weight Reduction Team, Quit Your Way, Men’s Sheds, Community Link Workers, Sexual Health Services, Terrence Higgins Trust, KA Leisure and Community Addictions teams who provided advice and support to patients throughout the day.

“It is a fantastic example for accessible, community-based health support really benefiting local men and highlighted the positive impact of bringing services together in one place.”

The event underlined the growing importance of community-based health initiatives, making it easier for people to access checks, advice and early support close to home. For many who attended, it also offered reassurance, information and encouragement to take a more active role in their health and wellbeing.