Health Screening
What is an executive health check in London, and when is a Health MOT the same clinical job at a clearer price?
Written by Mr Stephen LingamReviewed by Dr Penny Sheehan (GMC 6056535) on
A colleague came back from a board medical talking about scans and a long morning on Harley Street. Or a hospital has sent you a quote headed "executive health check". Either way, you're wondering whether that's simply the serious version of a private health MOT.
Here's the useful thing to know: there's no UK definition of an executive health check. The same words are used for doctor-led days with ultrasound, for MRI-only bookings, and for employer programmes. What matters is the clinical job underneath. That means a doctor who examines you, a blood panel read alongside that examination, and imaging that answers a question you'd act on, at a published price.
At The Health Screening Clinic, two Health MOTs match what most people mean. The Elite Health MOT adds specialist ultrasound and tumour markers, from £1,850. The Ultimate Health MOT adds full-body MRI, from £2,950. Both take place at 117a Harley Street, and you can book either online.
What does "executive" actually mean?
Clinically, nothing fixed. The UK National Screening Committee describes screening as identifying apparently healthy people who may have a higher chance of a condition, where a positive result often needs further tests before anyone talks about disease. A private day follows the same logic, whatever it's called.
In London you'll see the word used in three quite different ways:
- Hospital wellness menus often start with a consultation and a limited blood panel, then sell ultrasound, mammography, CT or MRI as add-ons. The headline fee can be some way off the fee for the investigation you had in mind.
- Imaging centres sell MRI-only days as executive upgrades: a radiologist's report, without an in-person examination and without a broad blood panel like the over 70 markers on Ultimate, which show whether your chemistry matches the pictures.
- Boutique programmes add PET-CT or extra CT to a long list, at several times the price.
Our buying guide to private health screening, published in June 2026, maps those models in more detail. The question here is narrower: when is the job you wanted already sitting inside a personal Health MOT?
Elite: when you want your organs looked at directly
Blood tests tell you about chemistry. They can't show you the outline of a kidney or the lining of a womb. Elite is the Health MOT built for that, and it's the visit most people had in mind when they asked for an executive check.
Men currently pay £1,850, which includes abdominal, pelvic and testicular ultrasound, with CEA and the relevant sex-specific tumour markers. Women currently pay £2,095, because the female package adds a gynaecologist consultation, trans-vaginal and pelvic ultrasound, a cervical smear, a mammogram after 40, and CA-125. Men's Elite runs Monday to Friday, and women's Elite runs on the Thursday and Friday specialist days. Allow two and a half to three hours.
Quotes for hospital all-round packages often reach a similar or higher figure before those scans are added, because the imaging is priced behind the bloods and the consultation. Elite puts it inside the published fee.
One thing worth understanding about tumour markers: they're extra information for a doctor who has examined you. NICE suspected-cancer guidance uses PSA and CA125 within defined, symptom-led assessments. On its own, a marker gives you neither a diagnosis nor an all-clear.
Advanced, at £999, sits a step below. It adds chest X-ray, DEXA when clinically indicated, lung function, fitness testing and hormone profiles, without the specialist ultrasound. It's a good fit if those are the investigations you want. If scans of your organs were the reason you started looking, book Elite.
Ultimate: when the scanner is the point
Ultimate is the Health MOT with full-body MRI. The protocol images the brain, intracranial and carotid MRA, the whole spine and the torso, and it replaces the chest X-ray and DEXA. Allow three to four hours, including 60 to 90 minutes in the scanner. Men, and women without the gynaecology bundle, currently pay £2,950. Women with gynaecology currently pay £3,350.
What sets it apart from a scan-only day is everything around the pictures. Ultimate includes a doctor's examination, a panel of over 70 blood markers, ECG and lung function work, and a review that can connect, say, a cyst on the scan with a liver blood test. MRI shows structure, blood shows chemistry, and the examination sits between them. That's why Ultimate is priced between a scan-only booking and a boutique executive programme.
More scans aren't automatically better screening for someone who feels well. PET-CT and extra CT find more incidental things, and each of those needs a doctor to decide what, if anything, happens next. A clear scan is reassuring rather than a guarantee, and a finding becomes a diagnosis only once a clinician who has examined you has looked at it. If full-body MRI with a proper clinical workup is what you're after, book Ultimate.
Executive screening through your employer
Employers buy something called executive screening too. On the clinic's occupational programme, the executive workforce tier starts from £599 per employee, with a Gold blood profile, an in-person results review and referral letters where indicated. It's arranged for a group, and reporting follows the contract the company signed. Specialist ultrasound or full-body MRI are part of it only when the proposal included them.
If work is paying, start with the occupational health page, because consent, who receives the report and which tests are in scope are agreed there. If you're paying for yourself, a personal Health MOT is yours to book. For what happens on a workplace day, see what employees actually receive from a workplace health screen.
Which one fits what you want?
| What you want | The matching appointment | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| Specialist ultrasound and tumour markers | Elite Health MOT | £1,850 for men, £2,095 for women |
| Full-body MRI with a clinical workup | Ultimate Health MOT | £2,950, or £3,350 with gynaecology |
| Chest X-ray, DEXA when indicated, lung function, fitness and hormones | Advanced Health MOT | £999 |
| Screening for senior staff, paid by the employer | Corporate executive tier | From £599 per employee |
Every personal MOT includes a physical assessment with a Harley Street doctor, detailed blood analysis, a written report and a results review. You can compare all four tiers on the Health MOTs page, read what a full body MOT includes, or call 020 7183 7056. Inclusions can change over time, so the live menu on that page is the one to check.
Before you book
Bring any previous blood results, scans and clinic letters. Fast only if the clinic asks you to, and keep taking your regular medicines unless you're told otherwise. The consultants page shows the clinical team who examine, report and refer, so you know who will look after an abnormal marker or picture.
Keep going to your NHS breast, bowel and cervical screening invitations alongside any private check. If you have a new, severe or worsening symptom, a GP appointment is the quickest first step, and 999 or A&E is there for emergencies.
Frequently asked questions
Is an executive health check a defined medical test?
There's no UK standard behind the phrase. Clinics use it for doctor-led packages with ultrasound, MRI-only days, boutique programmes with extra CT or PET-CT, and employer workforce tiers, so compare what's actually done rather than the title.
When is a Health MOT the same as an executive check?
When what you wanted was a Harley Street doctor, a broad blood panel, an in-person review, and either specialist ultrasound with tumour markers or full-body MRI. Elite and Ultimate are built for exactly those two jobs, at published prices.
Is Advanced the executive option?
Advanced, at £999, adds chest X-ray, DEXA when indicated, lung function, fitness testing and hormones. Choose Elite if specialist ultrasound and markers are what you're after, or Ultimate if it's full-body MRI.
Is the corporate executive tier the same appointment?
It's a separate workplace programme, from £599 per employee, with reporting set by the company contract. Elite and Ultimate are personal Health MOTs that you book for yourself.
Should I add extra scans to be more thorough?
Choose the imaging that answers a question you'd act on. More scans and markers turn up more incidental findings, some of which need extra tests and most of which won't change your health, so keep a doctor in the same conversation.
Sources
- UK National Screening Committee. Principles of screening
- NICE. Suspected cancer: recognition and referral (NG12)
- NHS. MRI scan
- Health Screening Clinic. Private health screening in London: a buying guide
- Health Screening Clinic. Elite Health MOT
- Health Screening Clinic. Ultimate Health MOT
- Health Screening Clinic. Occupational health
Related screening
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.
Dr Penny Sheehan
MBBS, MRCGP
General Practitioner
GMC: 6056535
Specialising in women's health, hormonal balance, and menopause management within screening contexts.
Last reviewed: 25/09/2026