Health MOTs for the over-40s 'waste money and cause harm': NHS checks said to miss up to half of patients who go on to suffer a heart attack

[sandybrown]

Health MOTs for the over-40s 'waste money and cause harm': NHS checks said to miss up to half of patients who go on to suffer a heart attack or stroke

Health MOTs are wasting some £450million a year according to researchers

Say money would be better spent on tackling obesity and binge drinking

Free NHS Health Check programme is offered to all adults aged 40 to 74

Report warned there's 'no evidence' they prevent death or long-term illness

Read more: dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...

[Hidden]

I don't think my doctors surgery does these, I was definitely never called for one.

[sandybrown in reply to Hidden]

I had to ask my GP practice, this is because I saw a note at the local boots.

Because of my interest I had two health screening as a package to identify any problems. I wrote an article for HU, NHS community giving my experience.

Life style change has helped me. Not on any medication at the moment, only time will tell.

A, TV programme did discuss health check, if it is necessary and how it can help.

Our body do let us know of any problems one way or other therefore we can make up our own mind on health checks.

I do not know how the cost is worked out on health checks?

[Andyman in reply to sandybrown]

My body let me know about my health by giving me a heart attack. Actually a look in the mirror would have told me that had I taken the rose coloured glasses off.

[Hidden]

Hi Bala

as far as I know the health check just measures basic stuff like a urine test for diabetes, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol and you get asked about family history. So it's certainly not a sophisticated check as the NHS claims! That would be a full genetic test.

[Floozie]

Any screening test, in my opinion, is valuable. How many people are hypertensive without knowing, since this is asymptomatic? How many unknown diabetics are there? I have run a health screening unit & know how many conditions can be picked up. I am convinced that my parents, who both died in 1969, need not have died at the ages they did (63 yrs.) had they had something as simple as blood pressure checks.

[Aliwally]

I'm a bit divided about this as a lot of screening either worries people unnecessarily or even worse, puts them through unnecessary treatment or puts them on life long drugs. Personally, I think money spent on some screening should be spent on people who are ill or providing better social care for elderly people to keep them out of hospital.

[Andyman in reply to Aliwally]

Its not about the money we have the money, we have decided to use it to bomb people instead.

For me screening would have helped.

I would have know i was diabetic earlier and i would have taken action earlier.

Having said that i never visited doctors anyway. So would i have been flagged for a test. It needs a system to test all, and yes we have the money.

[Ravi1000]

HI Bala I am a newbie to HU. I am 42 had Bupa advanced screening for 3 years even told them i was possibly at a higher risk due to father dying of an Heart Attack and so be more critical, but still ended up having an MI 3 days after my checkup in sept this yr. I had slightly raised cholesterol total was 5.2 but they gave me a CHD score of 6% risk. So to me I just dont see the point. Makes this all more confusing for me now