When private prostate screening adds something beyond an NHS PSA conversation with a GP

You have usually arrived here because a birthday, a family history, a worried friend or a vague change in passing urine has made the prostate feel suddenly relevant. You are trying to work out whether a conversation with your NHS GP about a PSA blood test is enough, or whether a private screening package adds something that conversation cannot. That is a reasonable question.

The public route in the UK is an informed choice, not a national invitation programme that calls every man in. NHS.uk is plain: routine PSA testing is not currently offered on the NHS, unless genetic tests have shown a faulty BRCA2 gene, which raises prostate cancer risk. You may be offered a PSA test if a doctor thinks you have symptoms that could be prostate cancer. Men and anyone with a prostate can still ask a GP about testing, after a discussion of benefits and risks.

The UK National Screening Committee does not recommend population-wide prostate screening. It has recommended targeted screening for men aged 45 to 61 with a confirmed BRCA2 variant, with NHS implementation planned rather than already in every surgery. For everyone else, the public door remains that GP conversation. Private screening at The Health Screening Clinic is a different product: a booked package with examination, laboratory work or MRI depending on tier, and an in-person review at 117a Harley Street, London W1G 6AT, where the clinic has practised since 1984 and is registered with the Care Quality Commission.

What a PSA number can and cannot say

Prostate-specific antigen is a protein made by the prostate. A PSA test checks the level in blood. High levels may be a sign of a prostate condition. That is a long way from a cancer diagnosis.

NHS guidance is equally plain about error. There is a risk a PSA test result may not be accurate, and you may be offered tests and treatment you do not need. A high PSA does not mean you have cancer. It may be an enlarged prostate, also called benign prostate enlargement, or other non-cancer changes. Inflammation and a urine infection can lift the figure as well. For 48 hours before the test, NHS advice is not to have anal sex, ejaculate, do anything that leaves you out of breath, or ride a bike. Each of those can increase PSA and make the test less accurate. If you have a urine infection, you wait 4 to 6 weeks after it has cleared.

Those limits have a name in screening language. The UK National Screening Committee describes a false positive as a result that says the chance of a condition looks higher when the condition is not there, and a false negative as a result that says the chance looks low when the condition is. A raised PSA with no cancer is the first of those. A reassuring PSA in a man who still has a prostate cancer is the second. Both can cause harm: worry, extra procedures and treatment on one side, and false reassurance on the other. A flag is not a diagnosis, and a quiet number is not a lifetime all-clear.

If an NHS result is raised, you may be offered another PSA test, and a GP may then discuss specialist tests such as MRI or biopsy. That public pathway exists. This article will not invent private cut-offs or turn a printout into a diagnosis protocol. That is a different appointment from a screening package.

When a private package adds something the GP conversation does not

A private prostate screen at this clinic is worth considering when you want more than a single PSA discussed in a GP appointment.

Essential adds a doctor-led examination that includes a digital rectal examination. Advanced replaces the standard PSA with a broader Prostate Profile. Elite adds bi-parametric prostate MRI. Every tier finishes in an in-person review rather than a number posted without a conversation.

It is also worth considering if you are 50 or over, or 45 if you are Black or have a close family history. Any urinary change is for your GP first. Inability to pass urine, sudden severe testicular pain, blood in the urine, or symptoms of a heart attack belong with 999, A&E or an urgent GP, not with a screening diary.

What private screening does not add is a national programme, a promise that cancer can be ruled in or out, or a genetic sequencing service as a standard part of these three prostate tiers. The packages below are blood, examination and, at Elite, MRI. They are not a substitute for the NHS conversation you can still have, and they are not a diagnosis clinic for a result you already hold.

The consultants page sits there if you want the wider clinical team. Booking does not need a GP referral.

Essential, Advanced and Elite prostate packages

There are three doctor-led prostate tiers, each with an in-person review of results. Most results are available within 3 to 5 working days. You then come back so a doctor can explain the picture in plain English and, where needed, arrange referral into a specialist network rather than leaving you to interpret a report alone.

Essential prostate screening is £299. It is a fundamental prostate health check: a physical examination with digital rectal examination, a PSA blood test, and that in-person review. It suits men who want a clinical baseline around a PSA rather than a blood form on its own, such as a PSA blood test.

Advanced prostate screening is £549. It replaces the standard PSA with an expanded Prostate Profile, which gives a more granular view of prostate-specific antigens and markers than a single PSA figure. The examination and review remain. Choose it when the question is still screening, but you want more laboratory information around the same consultation, not because the name sounds more complete.

Elite prostate screening is £1,299. It adds bi-parametric prostate MRI, which looks at the gland in a way blood cannot, and can show clinically significant cancers that blood tests alone may miss. A multi-parametric MRI upgrade is available for £400 when that scan is offered. The upgrade is not automatic, and it is not a genetic test. Elite is a structural assessment for men who want imaging inside a screening package, still with an in-person review.

If what you want is a whole-man Health MOT that happens to include the prostate, that is a different booking. The Elite Health MOT includes PSA for men over 40 with abdominal, pelvic and testicular ultrasound, lasting 2.5 to 3 hours on any weekday, Monday to Friday, at £1,850, on top of the Advanced MOT core of chest X-ray, DEXA when indicated, spirometry, VO2 max and four GP appointments across the year. Do not squeeze a full MOT into a prostate tier, and do not strip a prostate question down to a MOT because the MOT name sounds larger.

Tips and tricks

• Decide whether you are asking for a planned screen or for help with a number or symptom that already exists.
• A first PSA conversation can still start with your NHS GP.
• A private package is for when you want examination, a Prostate Profile or MRI around that question, with a review that belongs to the same clinic.
• Keep the 48 hours before the blood test clean of ejaculation, anal sex, breathless exercise and cycling, and postpone the test if a urine infection has not yet been clear for 4 to 6 weeks.
• Say if you have already had a recent prostate examination, a catheter, or another procedure around the gland.
• Bring previous PSA figures, family history and a medication list.
• Choose the tier by the question.
• Essential is examination, PSA and review.
• Advanced is the Prostate Profile in place of a standard PSA.
• Elite is bi-parametric MRI, with a multi-parametric upgrade only when it is offered.
• If the wider male MOT is the real question, use Elite Health MOT rather than stacking organ packages without a plan.

Things to avoid

• Do not treat a raised PSA as a cancer diagnosis, and do not treat an unremarkable PSA as a lifetime all-clear.
• NHS guidance is that a high PSA does not mean you have cancer, that the result may not be accurate, and that you may be offered tests and treatment you do not need.
• A flag is not a diagnosis.
• Do not book these three screening tiers because you already have a raised NHS PSA and want someone to name a disease from the printout. That is a GP and specialist investigation conversation, not this package pathway.
• Do not book them because you cannot pass urine or have sudden severe testicular pain.
• Do not ignore the 48-hour preparation advice and then treat the number as gospel.
• Do not assume genetic sequencing is sitting inside the prostate packages as standard, and do not skip the in-person review.
• Keep the NHS conversation available as well.

If you do want to review prostate screening packages, the details sit on the private prostate screening page, or you can call 020 7183 7056.

For what a whole-person men's check covers, read what a well man check should include. For what a raised marker does and does not mean, see can a blood test detect cancer.

Frequently asked questions

When does private prostate screening add something beyond an NHS PSA conversation?

When you want a doctor-led examination, a Prostate Profile or prostate MRI, and an in-person review in one package. It does not replace that NHS conversation, and it does not diagnose a raised result you already hold.

Does a raised PSA mean I have cancer?

No. PSA is a protein from the prostate. NHS guidance says a high PSA does not mean you have cancer, and that it may be an enlarged prostate or other non-cancer changes. That is a false-positive risk in screening language. A flag is not a diagnosis.

Can a normal PSA miss cancer?

Yes. No screening test is perfect. A false negative is a result that looks reassuring when the condition is still there. A quiet PSA is not a lifetime all-clear. That is why Essential includes examination and Elite can add MRI.

What is in Essential, Advanced and Elite?

Essential at £299 is digital rectal examination, PSA and a review. Advanced at £549 replaces the standard PSA with a Prostate Profile. Elite at £1,299 adds bi-parametric prostate MRI, with a multi-parametric upgrade at £400 when offered. Results typically take 3 to 5 working days.

How is the Elite Health MOT different from Elite prostate screening?

Elite prostate screening is an organ package. The Elite Health MOT is a whole-man screen that includes PSA over 40 plus abdominal, pelvic and testicular ultrasound. Men's Elite is available Monday to Friday.

I already have a raised NHS PSA. Is this the right article?

No. This clinic's prostate pages are a screening-package pathway. A raised result you already hold belongs in a GP or specialist investigation conversation, not in a first screen sold as a diagnosis.

Sources

• NHS. PSA test
• UK National Screening Committee. Principles of screening
• Cancer Research UK. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing
• General Medical Council. Medical register, Mohammad Bakhtiar, 4694470

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