What is a ‘Health Check’ or medical MOT?

Ageing Well

2 February 2018

A full medical assessment can help identify health risks. While the merits of health checks are hotly debated in the press, everyone can agree that there is no harm in taking time to focus on your health risks and making changes now that could prevent future illness.

Importantly, a health check should not be a substitute for a visit to your GP. If you have a health concern, you should see your doctor. If you're struggling to find time to see your GP, try our AXA Doctor at Hand service, powered by DoctorCareAnywhere. You can have an online or phone consultation, usually within a few hours.

Private health assessment options

There are numerous options if you want a mid-life MOT with a private provider.

Some offer the same checks as the NHS and others offer more, from cardio-respiratory fitness tests to cardiac CT. There are also clinics that provide complementary screening, such as hair analysis to reveal vitamin and mineral deficiencies, or bio-resonance tests to measure energy levels. (Buyer beware -- Not all of these diagnostic tests have proven benefits.)

• Nuffield and BMI health assessments

If you’re an AXA Health member, you can enjoy a 25% discount off health assessments with BMI and Nuffield. Please log in to your Servicing area for more information.

The NHS Health Check

The NHS offers you a free health check every 5 years if you’re aged between 40 and 74 and do not have a pre-existing condition.

The check includes a range of routine health tests and questions about your diet, exercise, and lifestyle. The results give your doctor a clearer picture of your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and some forms of dementia. If identified early, these conditions can be treated more successfully or even prevented.

The NHS Health Check is carried out by a healthcare professional such as a practice nurse at your GP surgery. They will discuss the results with you and you will be given advice and support to help you address any areas of concern. 

What the test involves:

 health check infographic

Start your healthy lifestyle right now…

With or without one of these health assessments, you can kick start a healthier lifestyle right now. You don’t need an MOT to tell you that your car has a problem, so why wait for a test result before you address those areas of your life that you know are not so healthy?

If you know deep down that you need to stop lounging on the sofa, eat more fruit and veg, or drink less alcohol…you can start that today! You can find plenty of inspiration in our Wellbeing pages to get you started. And always remember, we're here to support you. If you have any questions about any health issue, including how to improve your diet or activity levels, contact our Ask the Expert team for help, whenever and wherever you need us.

Further reading

• Ageing well centre - AXA Health

Useful links

NHS Health Check 

NHS Screening   

Got a health question?

We’re here to help you take care of your health - whenever you need us, wherever you are, whether you're an AXA Health member or not.

Our Ask the Expert service allows you to ask our team of friendly and experienced nurses, midwives, counsellors and pharmacists about any health topic. So if there's something on your mind, why not get in touch now.

Ask an expert

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