OOH, MATRON!
Electric probes, a VERY intimate exam and a bill for £547... but my health check is worth every penny
MOST people invest time and money ensuring their car does not break down and keeping their house in decent shape – but they fail to look after their own body. The Mail on Sunday sends out reporter TOBY WALNE for a medical MOT – and discovers how you can save both your health and money in the process.
MY SCREENING
THE soothing sound of birdsong pipes through ceiling speakers in the plush hotel-like foyer.
It is a far cry from an NHS waiting room crowded with screaming kids and long-suffering elderly patients. I sit on a comfy sofa with only a bowl of exotic fruit and a herbal infusion drink dispenser for company.
My check-up with Nuffield Health in Central London does not come cheap at £547. Especially when I consider how much it costs to prop up the NHS – £120billion a year, or £1,900 from everyone in Britain. Physiologist Rebecca Cooper has a friendly smile that immediately puts me at ease. Removing my shirt, I am measured, weighed, breathalysed and hooked up to a range of monitors. I am even given electric shock treatment known as ‘bio-electric impedance’ to find how much lazy fat I have floating around i n my body.
It starts well as she finds I have a pulse – but she informs me that I partly survive on nervous energy, caffeine and alcohol.
‘Have you heard of planks?’ she asks. But this is no carpentry question, and she gets to the floor and holds her body up by her arms without collapsing.
Apparently, doing this will ‘engage my core muscles’ and breaking into a sweat for ten minutes a day will also help me survive into old age.
I decide to ignore her advice of limiting my alcohol consumption to 14 units a week – just seven pints of beer – as it seems an arbitrary figure made up by killjoys in white lab coats. But it is good to know that my love of home brew contributes to regular bouts of insomnia rather than helps me to sleep.
We then talk about cholesterol, a fatty substance that can lead to heart problems.
She has my test results within minutes of taking a blood sample and I have scored highly for ‘the wrong kind’ of cholesterol.
Being recommended to eat fruit and avocado on wholegrain toast for breakfast to help keep me alive sounds a tasty treat – and not too much of a chore.
In an hour, my lifestyle has been sorted. I have even been prescribed yoga to unscramble my brain.
Doctor Hassan Al-Hashimi then takes over.
He has the less pleasant task of talking me through my blood, urine and stool samples. There is also an intimate examination to be endured on a table behind curtains.
I feel like Frankie Howerd being a ‘big brave boy’ in the classic British comedy film Carry On Doctor as my testicles are felt for lumps and there is a prostate gland examination.
Separately, there is a body check for possible cancerous moles.
Dr Al-Hashimi declares: ‘It is good for you to know about any potential problems now rather than seeing a doctor later when unfortunately it can be too late.’
I am not given a clean bill of health. I am asked to have a lump on a testicle scanned and a large new mole examined by a specialist dermatologist as a precaution in case either might prove cancerous. Step forward the NHS.
Many people can get a free health test on the National Health Service, an option offered to those aged between 40 and 74. But there are other options you can consider.
These include contacting one of the private medical companies eager to take your money in return for a health test. Providers such as Bluecrest, BMI Healthcare, Bupa and Nuffield Health charge anything from £50 to more than £800 for a variety of screenings.
Alternatively, you might be able to take advantage of company cover or private medical insurance to cover the costs.
GET A NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE CHECK
THE free NHS test is aimed at helping people avoid key illnesses such as heart disease, a stroke, kidney complaints and diabetes.
The first step is to contact your local doctor and ask if they can give you the check-up. It might mean waiting up to five years if you are still only 40, so bear this in mind.
You can also visit nhs.uk/nhshealthcheck and tap in your postcode for details of surgeries in your area that may offer the check. The scheme is controlled by local councils, so contact yours if you are struggling to find help.
The health MOT involves up to half an hour with a doctor and a quiz about your lifestyle and family history, taking blood pressure and a blood sample.
Findings give an indication of risk of heart disease, a stroke, kidney disease and diabetes. You will also get practical lifestyle guidance such as how to improve your diet and useful fitness regimes.
The scheme has its critics. It costs taxpayers about £450million a year and for every 4,800 screenings, perhaps only one individual will be discovered who needs life-saving treatment.
According to health watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), encouraging people to cut down on alcohol and cigarette consumption and taking up
a sport offers better value for money. This would potentially save 100,000 lives a year.
The NHS also offers free health screenings for a variety of conditions, including abdominal aortic aneurysms, bowel cancer, breast cancer and cervical cancer, as well as blood disorders such as sicklecell trait. For details of eligibility and conditions, visit gov.uk and tap in ‘population screening programmes’. VERDICT: Essential free service if you are eligible.
CONSIDER PRIVATE HEALTH SCREENING
IF YOU do not qualify for an NHS health check or are struggling to find one where you live, then a private health check-up can be a prac- tical solution. This costs money but if it spots potential problems or helps you live a healthier lifestyle, it can provide excellent value.
The quality of care is comparable to that of the NHS. But by paying, you bypass lengthy queues and get a check-up specifically tailored to your health demands and the size of your wallet.
Here, The Mail on Sunday lists a variety of offers on the market. It is worth checking out their websites and contacting them directly for more specific information and details of local clinics.
BLUECREST HEALTH SCREENING £99 to £269
SERVICES start with a basic ‘prevention plus’ package costing £99. Includes blood pressure test for heart disease risk and checks for liver, kidney and diabetes risk.
Top price is ‘early cancer risk review’ at £269 and includes checks for prostate, ovary, pancreas, bowel, liver and lung cancer.
BMI HEALTHCARE £177 to £698
BMI offers a range of health assessments that start with an ‘essential’ review for £177 that includes an analysis of diet, fitness and lifestyle. A comprehensive ‘advanced plus’ screening costs £698 and includes a medical report following a nurse consultation and physical examination by a doctor.
BUPA £176 to £821
A WIDE range of health assessments is offered from a ‘core’ service costing £176 to a ‘peak’ service at £821. An online questionnaire must be completed.
The basic service includes a lifestyle and stress indicator, while the comprehensive check-up is twoand-a-half hours with cancer tests and a clinical examination.
MEDICHECKS £49 to £149
THE company breaks check-ups into a number of tests that can be done at home and then posted for analysis without meeting a nurse or doctor.
They start with a ‘baseline blood test’ for £49, which checks your cholesterol level, liver and kidney functions. An UltraVit service costs £149 and also includes blood cell counts, cancer tests and hormone checks.
NUFFIELD HEALTH £259 to £727
THE basic ‘lifestyle’ one-hour test costs £259 and includes body measurements, blood pressure and urine tests with health improvement advice.
The most comprehensive service is ‘360+’ at £727. This includes full doctor analysis of blood, a cervical smear, analysis of stools and healthier living advice.
VERDICT: If it is good enough for the company boss, then the service is good enough for you. Money well spent if you heed any warnings that are given.
SAVE THROUGH WORK OR MEDICAL COVER
PRIVATE medical insurance will secure you a discount of at least 10 per cent off a health MOT.
But with healthcare costs rising by 8 per cent a year, the price of insurance is rising.
This will be exacerbated further by a 12 per cent insurance premium tax kicking in from June (it is currently 10 per cent).
A family of four with parents both aged 40 might expect to pay about £150 a month – £1,800 a year – for private medical insurance. Any claim would trigger an excess, typically £250.
But if you are fortunate, your employer may offer cover as a work benefit.
The Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries can help with advice on finding a competitive private medical insurance deal.
Providers include Aviva, Axa PPP healthcare, Bupa, CS Healthcare, Freedom Health Insurance, The Exeter, VitalityHealth and WPA.
Some providers, such as VitalityHealth, might charge less if you have a gym membership as it suggests to them that you look after yourself. VERDICT: Costly but worthwhile.