Dr Stavy · Your care options
Private Health Screening and Preventive Assessment
Health screening looks for possible health problems before symptoms arise. A preventive assessment should first make clear your history, priorities and the question a test could answer. More tests do not always mean better care. If you already have symptoms, the next step may be investigation of that concern rather than a screening package. [1]
How does screening differ from investigating a symptom?
Screening is offered to people who do not have symptoms of the condition being screened for. Investigation starts with a concern that is already present. The NHS makes this difference when explaining screening. A test can have a different aim, interpretation and follow-up depending on which question is being asked. [1]
Tell the clinician if you have noticed a new symptom, even if you originally planned to book a general check. Do not leave it out because it seems unrelated to the package you chose. The concern may need a different assessment, and a normal screening result should not be used as a clear account for an unresolved symptom.
The practice offers health screening and preventive assessment. Before choosing tests, ask what the visit or call covers and how it differs from a symptom-focused GP appointment. The Private GP and Holistic Medical Care in London page describes that appointment route. A clear aim at the start makes it easier to decide if the planned service is the right one for you.
What should a preventive assessment try to decide?
A preventive assessment should name the choices that matter for your health, rather than produce the longest possible report. Bring your medical and family history, current treatment and past screening or test results. Ask which details are missing and if obtaining it would alter an action you can reasonably take.
Your priorities are part of the talk. You may want to understand a current risk factor, check which routine programmes apply to you or discuss an offer you have seen elsewhere. Say which question prompted the appointment. This helps you tell apart a useful assessment from a broad search for abnormalities with no agreed response.
Ask how the care plan will fit with care already in place. If another doctor monitors a condition, bring the latest plan so that testing can be coordinated. A preventive visit should not create a second set of unexplained targets or leave you unclear about whose advice governs a current treatment.
What benefits can screening offer?
The aim of screening is to name people who may benefit from a further health review or action before symptoms develop. Whether it helps depends on the condition, the test, the people offered it and what happens after a result. The NHS explains screening as a pathway, not a guarantee that a person is free from disease. [1]
Ask about evidence for the specific screening offer. Evidence that one established programme is useful does not validate each private test marketed as early detection. The key question is if the planned pathway improves meaningful outcomes for people like those being offered it, with harms taken into account.
A result is only one step. Before a test, ask who will interpret it, what further work may be needed and who will arrange that work. A package that delivers numbers without a clear clinical response may not answer the question you hoped to resolve. Knowing the next step is part of judging the value of the offer.
What are the possible harms and limits?
Screening can give a false positive, suggesting a problem that later assessment does not check, or a false negative, missing a problem that is present. The NHS also describes overdiagnosis, when screening finds a condition that would not have caused harm. These are reasons to weigh an offer carefully, not reasons to ignore right care. [1]
Further investigation can have costs and burdens of its own. Ask what might follow an unclear or positive result and if you would want that next step. The initial price may be only part of the financial commitment. Time away from work, repeated appointments and what is not yet known may also matter to you.
| Possible result | Question to ask before testing |
|---|---|
| Reassuring result | What does this result in fact exclude. What does it leave open? |
| Abnormal result | Who checks what it means and arranges the next assessment? |
| Unclear result | Is repeat testing useful, and who decides when it is needed? |
| Unexpected finding | What evidence guides further action rather than more testing by default? |
Is a larger test panel more useful?
A larger panel is not by itself a better assessment. Ask what each test contributes and how the plan would change according to its result. A test with no clear action attached may add a number without adding a useful choice. The provider should be able to explain why the planned selection fits the question.
Liss and colleagues' 2021 JAMA review weighed up general health checks and found a mixed picture of benefits across outcomes, rather than a simple promise that more checks prevent death. It should not be read as validation of each commercial panel or as a reason to abandon an needed assessment. [3]
Compare proposals by their aim and follow-up, not just their test count. If one provider offers many more measurements, ask which extra findings would change care and if there is evidence for making those changes. You can ask for time to review the list and decline items you do not understand while seeking a clearer account.
How do NHS programmes and private assessment compare?
NHS screening programmes have defined eligibility and pathways. Private services may offer a different selection, but private availability does not itself show benefit. Ask which current programme applies to you and if a private offer duplicates it, addresses a separate question or uses a test outside a current programme. [1]
| Route | What to show |
|---|---|
| NHS screening invitation | The aim, eligibility details, benefits, harms and follow-up pathway supplied with the invitation. |
| Private preventive appointment | What the visit or call covers and which personal choices it is meant to support. |
| A private test package | Evidence for each part, total cost and a plan for interpreting and acting on results. |
| Review of symptoms | The right clinical route for the symptom, rather than reassurance from an unrelated screening test. |
Do not assume that a private report will by itself lead to a given NHS investigation or treatment. Ask how any advice can be taken forward and what details another doctor would need. If you already have an invitation or planned assessment, bring it so that the talk can take account of the pathway on offer to you.
What does a biomarker or risk score add?
A biomarker is a measured feature of the body that may provide details about health or disease. Its usefulness depends on what it measures and how well it supports the choice being made. A risk score combines chosen details. It does not describe each aspect of a person's future health.
Use Longevity Assessment and Biomarkers for the separate question of longevity biomarkers and the limits of biological-age claims. A number presented as younger or older should not be treated as proof that a programme will extend life. Ask if the measurement has been validated for the planned use and if acting on it improves an outcome that matters.
If a report uses colour bands or an optimum range, ask where those cut-offs came from and how they relate to standard clinical interpretation. Attractive presentation does not resolve what is not yet known. Request the full results, units and explanation so that another doctor can understand the basis of any advice without relying on a proprietary score alone.
What should I check about cost and logistics?
Check the price and scope of the specific assessment before booking. Do not infer a screening-package price from a general GP or functional medicine starting fee. Ask if the appointment, sample collection, laboratory work and result review are separate charges. What happens if extra assessment is advised.
How to prepare depends on the real tests chosen. Ask for guidance for your appointment rather than using a generic fasting rule. If guidance involves medicines or conflict with another doctor's advice, clarify them before acting. You should know where to attend and how to raise a practical question about the plan.
Ask who owns the next action after results arrive. Will you need a separate appointment to discuss them? How will a finding requiring attention be handled? What details can be shared with your usual clinician? These details determine if the service provides a usable pathway rather than simply a set of measurements.
How can I make a clear choice?
Start by stating what you want the health review to resolve. Then ask the provider to connect each part of the offer to that aim. You should be able to describe the main benefits, limits, possible follow-up and costs in your own words before deciding whether to proceed.
It is reasonable to ask what would happen if you chose not to have a given test. This is not the same as ignoring a symptom or refusing right care. It is a way to understand if the planned screening step has a clear role in your situation and if a different route would answer the question better.
Keep a copy of the agreed plan and results. If your health changes later, seek assessment for that change rather than treating a past screen as a permanent guarantee. Preventive care is an long-term set of choices made in context. No single appointment can certify each part of your future health.
Common questions
Is screening the right route if I already have symptoms?
Symptoms may need a focused a clinical review rather than a screening package. Tell the clinician what has changed and why you are concerned before choosing tests. Screening is aimed at people without symptoms of the condition being screened for, and a reassuring result may not explain an unrelated or unresolved symptom. [1]
Does a normal health screen mean I am fully healthy?
No test or package can certify each aspect of health. Screening has limits, such as false negative results. Ask what was assessed and what the result can reasonably tell you. If a new concern arises, seek assessment for it rather than relying on an earlier screen as a lasting guarantee. [1]
Are more tests always better?
No. Ask what each test contributes, how its result could change care and what evidence supports that use. A large panel may include measurements that do not answer your question. Compare the aim, interpretation and follow-up of an offer rather than choosing solely by the number of tests advertised.
What is a false positive result?
A false positive suggests a possible problem that a further health review does not check. Screening can also miss a problem, producing a false negative. These limits should be explained before testing, along with what happens after an unclear or out-of-range result. This means you can weigh the offer in context. [1]
Is private screening a replacement for NHS screening?
Do not assume so. NHS programmes have their own eligibility and pathways, while a private offer may assess something different or duplicate a test already on offer. Bring any invitation or planned assessment and ask how the options relate. Private availability alone does not show that a test adds useful benefit. [1]
What should I ask about the price?
Ask for the cost of the real assessment, such as any separate appointment, sample collection, laboratory and result-review charges. Make clear what is included and what a further health review could cost. Do not use a general appointment starting fee as a quote for a screening package with a different scope.
Make the next step clear
When you are ready, you can request an appointment. Confirm the scope and fee before booking. Discuss medical concerns with your usual healthcare professional.
London clinics: Great Portland Street and Chelsea.
Sources and further reading
- NHS: Screening. Accessed 30 September 2026.
- NHS: When to call 999. Accessed 30 September 2026.
- General Health Checks in Adult Primary Care: A Review; D. Liss, Toshiko L Uchida, C. Wilkes, Ankitha Radakrishnan, J. Linder; 2021; JAMA; DOI 10.1001/jama.2021.6524. Accessed 30 September 2026.