What is tested in a private health check?
A private health check tests your bodily functions using blood samples, physical measurements, and sometimes technical scans to build a detailed picture of your wellbeing.
Core measurements and blood tests
Your initial assessment will focus on the foundational pillars of health. The following tests are standard across almost all private packages.
- Blood pressure: This measures the force of blood against your artery walls and is a vital indicator of your cardiovascular health.
- Body Mass Index (BMI) and body composition: This assesses if your weight is in a healthy range for your height, while composition tests measure the ratio of body fat to muscle mass.
- Cholesterol panel (lipids): This blood test checks your levels of 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol. High levels of bad cholesterol are a risk factor for heart disease.
- Diabetes screen (HbA1c): This measures your average blood sugar levels over the past three months to check for pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
- Liver function test: This analyses specific enzymes and proteins in your blood to check for liver inflammation or early damage.
- Kidney function test: This assesses how effectively your kidneys are filtering waste products from your bloodstream.
Heart and lung screenings
If you opt for a mid-tier or advanced package, you will undergo tests that look at the function of specific organs in real-time.
- Resting Electrocardiogram (ECG): This test records the electrical activity of your heart while you lie still. It helps clinicians spot abnormal rhythms or signs of previous heart damage.
- Lung function test (spirometry): You will blow into a device that measures how much air you can breathe out in one forced breath. It screens for respiratory conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Thyroid function test: This blood test checks if your thyroid gland is producing the correct level of hormones, which are responsible for controlling your metabolism.
Gender-specific and cancer tests
Advanced checks often include tests tailored to biological sex, focusing heavily on early cancer detection.
- Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test: Offered to men, this blood test measures a protein produced by the prostate gland. Raised levels can indicate prostate enlargement or prostate cancer, though the test has limitations and can produce false positives.
- Cervical smear and HPV test: Offered to women, this screens for human papillomavirus (HPV) and abnormal cells on the cervix. This is often an optional add-on rather than a standard inclusion.
- Cancer markers (e.g. CA-125): These are blood tests looking for proteins often produced by specific cancers (such as ovarian cancer). They are not definitive diagnostic tools, but elevated levels indicate that further clinical investigation is necessary.
Benefits of early detection
The most significant benefit of a private health assessment is the early detection of silent risk factors. Conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and early-stage type 2 diabetes often present with zero symptoms. Identifying these issues early means you can take action before they cause irreversible damage. Finding out you have pre-diabetes, for example, can give you the motivation you need to change your diet and prevent the condition from progressing. For many, a clear set of results also provides profound psychological reassurance.
Downsides and over-diagnosis
It is important to understand the medical arguments against widespread private screening. The first issue is 'scanxiety'—the severe worry caused by waiting for test results or dealing with false positives. A false positive occurs when a test suggests an abnormality that turns out to be harmless upon further, often invasive, investigation.
There is also the risk of over-diagnosis. According to bodies like the UK National Screening Committee extensive testing can uncover minor, harmless abnormalities that would never have caused you any symptoms or shortened your life. Finding these incidental lumps or raised markers can lead to unnecessary medical treatments, stress, and complications.
Who benefits most?
Private health checks offer the most value to individuals over 40 who want a comprehensive baseline, people with a strong family history of specific inherited diseases, or those embarking on a major lifestyle change. If you are unsure if a package is right for you, the safest approach is to discuss your personal risk factors with a GP first. They can help you weigh the benefits against the risks of unnecessary testing.
Frequently asked questions
How often you should get a private health check depends on your individual risk factors, as there is no official UK clinical guideline stating how frequently you must have one. However, having a private health assessment every two to three years is a common recommendation for adults over 40. The ideal frequency relies heavily on your medical history and what your previous health check results showed.
If your health check finds a problem, the private healthcare provider will give you a detailed copy of your results and a referral letter for your NHS GP. Your NHS GP will then review the findings and arrange any necessary NHS referrals, treatments, or follow-up care. Alternatively, you can choose to manage the condition through a private medical specialist if you prefer.
A full-body CT or MRI scan is generally not a good idea for general screening in people without symptoms, according to most UK medical bodies, including the Royal College of Radiologists. CT scans expose you to significant doses of radiation, and both types of scans carry a very high risk of over-diagnosis by highlighting harmless, incidental cysts or benign growths.
You will likely need to fast before your health check for eight to 12 hours prior to your appointment. Fasting ensures that tests measuring your blood sugar (glucose) and cholesterol levels are entirely accurate, as recent meals can temporarily spike these numbers. However, you are usually permitted, and often encouraged, to drink plain water to stay fully hydrated before your tests.
You can absolutely have a health check if you are on your period. However, it is best to inform the clinical staff when you arrive, as menstrual blood can affect the results of your urine analysis. You may also wish to reschedule the appointment if your health package includes a cervical smear, as the sample may be much harder for the laboratory to analyse clearly.