Warning about private health MOTs

Friday July 24th, 2009

Commercial health "MOT" centres are often a waste of money - and may even be dangerous, experts warned yesterday.

An investigation found centres run by different private healthcare companies gave the same people very different stories.

One researcher was told at one centre that he should take "immediate action" on his health as he was at high risk - another said he was much healthier than most of his contemporaries.

The investigation was conducted by Which? - formerly the Consumers' Association - using researchers aged between 42 and 62.

An expert panel of doctors reviewed the findings and warned that health MOTs could give "false reassurance" to people who need to take action - but could also create unnecessary worry.

And it said that some people might end up undergoing an unnecessary CT scan - which could be dangerous as CT scans use x-rays.

The average cost of the MOTs was £423 with the most expensive costing about £2,000.

Which? said anybody considering a private MOT should see their NHS GP first and see what tests or screening were available.

Martyn Hocking, editor of Which? magazine, said: "Health MOTs often cater for the worried well who want the reassurance of a clean bill of health, but they can cost hundreds of pounds for what sometimes amounts to little more than lifestyle and dietary advice.

"That might seem harmless, but a false sense of reassurance is potentially risky, and if the tests flag issues that turn out to be false alarms you could actually end up with unnecessary worry, rather than the peace of mind you signed up for."

Tags: General Health | Heart Health | UK News

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