What happens after a Health MOT flags something?

The report lands and one line is highlighted. Your cholesterol, perhaps, or a thyroid reading, or a small cyst on an ultrasound. The screen that felt so thorough has suddenly left you with a question.

Here's what happens next. The doctor who examined you goes through the result with you in person, explains it without jargon, and agrees a plan: repeat it, watch it, treat it, or refer you to a specialist. Many of these conversations end without any diagnosis of serious disease. That's ordinary screening doing its job.

That review is built into every Health MOT at 117a Harley Street, from the £495 Essential upwards, alongside a physical assessment with a Harley Street doctor, detailed blood analysis and a written report. If you'd like to book, or ask a question first, call us on 020 7183 7056.

Why does a result get flagged?

Laboratories mark each result against a reference range. That range is a statistical interval for the test, so a number outside it is a prompt for a closer look, not a verdict on your health.

The UK National Screening Committee puts it well. Screening finds apparently healthy people who may have a higher chance of a condition, and a positive screen usually leads to further tests, not a diagnosis. That's just as true when you pay privately.

A lipid level, a thyroid reading, an ECG tracing or an ultrasound finding can sit outside the usual range because of diet, medicines, a recent illness or a benign cyst. It can also reflect a change that does need action. The same number can be urgent in one person and unimportant in another, which is why the doctor who examined you reads it alongside everything else.

Tumour markers are read the same way. NICE guidance on suspected cancer (NG12) uses tests such as PSA and CA125 for people with particular symptoms. They were never designed as a general all-clear. For more on markers, read tumour markers in a MOT.

Who reviews your results?

On Essential and Advanced, a senior GP reviews and explains your results, usually the same doctor who carried out your assessment. Elite and Ultimate add specialist reporting on top of that GP review, including consultant radiology on Ultimate.

That continuity is the point of a doctor-led MOT. The person who listened to your chest, took your blood pressure and heard your history decides whether a flagged potassium, a borderline HbA1c or a heart murmur needs a repeat test, a medicine, a specialist letter, or no treatment at all.

Advanced adds a chest X-ray, a DEXA scan when clinically indicated, lung function, fitness work and hormone profiles, so there's more to talk through in the same conversation. The Elite Health MOT includes specialist ultrasound and tumour markers, so a pelvic, testicular or abdominal finding is often already in the room with a clinician who can interpret it. Ultimate includes MRI of the brain, intracranial and carotid MRA, whole spine and torso.

Those extra reports are read as part of your overall picture, not posted to you as a separate radiology product. A raised CEA, PSA or CA-125 is extra information for your doctor, and an ultrasound finding takes on meaning once the doctor who examined you has decided what, if anything, needs to happen.

What if your ECG needs a cardiologist?

Every personal MOT includes an ECG. Most tracings are read with your examination and history, and nothing more is needed.

An ECG can pick up a rhythm you can't feel, a conduction change, or a pattern worth a cardiology opinion. On its own it can't diagnose coronary disease, so even a normal tracing is read together with your blood pressure, lipids and any symptoms.

When a tracing does need a specialist, it's sent to Prof Darrel Francis, consultant cardiologist (GMC 4062833), who provides cardiac oversight for the clinic's health screenings. When it's indicated, that reading is arranged within the clinic. It isn't a routine extra, and it isn't left as a suggestion on the last page of your report.

How do referrals and follow-up work?

If a finding needs a specialist, the clinic refers you directly into its Harley Street consultant network and handles the letters, the bookings and the follow-up. You won't need to draft your own referral, chase an appointments desk you've never spoken to, or explain a flagged scan to a new secretary from scratch. Our consultants page names the senior clinicians who oversee this work.

That's true on every tier. Essential includes the in-person results review, and abnormalities can be referred if a specialist opinion is needed. Advanced, Elite and Ultimate add four private GP consultations over 12 months, which you can share with immediate family. A marker can be repeated, a risk factor managed or a finding talked through again, without buying a new screening package.

Those GP visits aren't insurance or private medical cover, and they don't make every extra scan free. Prescriptions, medicines, repeat laboratory work and further investigations are charged separately where they sit outside your package.

If your question is about one organ rather than a whole-person check, our cancer screening packages focus on that organ, and a flag there is explained in person and referred in the same way. For findings on a scan that nobody was looking for, read incidental findings on a private scan.

What if you feel unwell before your review?

A Health MOT is designed for people who feel well enough to be screened. If something new, severe or worsening comes up, get it seen straight away and let the review follow.

Call 999 or go to A&E for severe chest pain, signs of a stroke, sudden severe shortness of breath, collapse, a seizure that isn't stopping, or heavy bleeding you can't control. If you're unsure whether it's an emergency, NHS 111 can advise. Coughing up blood needs an urgent GP appointment or NHS 111 the same day, and 999 if it's heavy or you're breathless. A new lump, unexplained weight loss or a change in bowel habit is one for your GP the same week.

For anything about your results, letters or specialist bookings, you can contact us at any point.

Getting the most from your review

• Bring previous bloods, clinic letters, a list of your medicines and any recent ECGs or scans. Your doctor is reading a trend, not one highlighted line.
• Mention any results that have worried you in the past.
• Allow time for the reports to arrive: about two to three working days for Essential, and often five to ten for Elite and Ultimate where specialist and MRI reporting apply.
• On Advanced, Elite or Ultimate, ask how your four GP visits, which you can share with immediate family, could be used if something needs repeating, so everything stays in one practice.

If you'd like a Health MOT with this kind of aftercare built in, the current packages are on our Health MOT page, or call us on 020 7183 7056.

Frequently asked questions

If a Health MOT flags something, what happens next?

The doctor who examined you usually reviews the result with you in person, explains it without jargon, and agrees whether it needs repeating, watching, treating or referring. A flag is the start of that conversation rather than a diagnosis.

Who reads the results?

On Essential and Advanced, a senior GP, usually the same doctor who carried out your assessment. Elite and Ultimate add relevant specialist reporting, including consultant radiology on Ultimate, as part of the same review.

When does an ECG go to a cardiologist?

When the tracing needs a specialist opinion, it's sent to Prof Darrel Francis, GMC 4062833. Most ECGs are read with the examination and need nothing further.

Does the clinic arrange the specialist if I need one?

Yes. The clinic refers you directly to London specialists among its Harley Street consultants, and handles the letters, the bookings and the follow-up.

Do Advanced, Elite and Ultimate include extra GP time after the report?

Yes. Those tiers include four private GP consultations over 12 months, shareable with immediate family. Essential includes the results review, and further GP visits can be booked if needed.

Is a tumour marker or a scan finding a cancer diagnosis?

No. CEA, PSA and CA-125 are extra information, and imaging findings still need clinical review. NICE NG12 uses PSA and CA125 for people with particular symptoms, rather than as a general cancer ruling.

What if I feel seriously unwell before the review?

Call 999 or go to A&E for an emergency, and use NHS 111 if you're unsure. Your MOT review can follow once you've been seen.

Sources

• UK National Screening Committee. Principles of screening
• NICE. Cardiovascular disease: risk assessment and reduction, including lipid modification (NG238)
• NICE. Suspected cancer: recognition and referral (NG12)
• NHS. When to call 999
• NHS. When to go to A&E
• NHS. NHS 111
• The Health Screening Clinic. Health MOTs
• The Health Screening Clinic. Consultants
• General Medical Council. Medical register, Mohammad Bakhtiar, 4694470
• General Medical Council. Medical register, Darrel Francis, 4062833

Written By

Stephen Lingam

Managing Director

Managing Director of Medical Express Clinic and the Health Screening Clinic since 1984. Over 40 years of operational experience in private healthcare on Harley Street, overseeing patient care, clinical standards, and service delivery.

Medically Reviewed

Dr Mohammad Bakhtiar

MD, PhD, LRCP, MSc, DHMSA

Clinical Lead

GMC: 4694470

Leading our clinical team with a focus on comprehensive men's health and preventative oncology protocols.

Last reviewed: 25/09/2026