Health Screening

What a full body MOT includes

Dr Mohammad Bakhtiar

8 September 2026

9 min read

The phrase full body MOT is used for almost any private check, from a nurse taking blood in a hotel suite to a scan with no doctor in the room. At The Health Screening Clinic a doctor-led MOT is a consultation, a physical examination, laboratory work, a written report and a review appointment, done at 117a Harley Street, W1G 6AT. That is what it includes. What it does not include matters as much. It is not a cancer all-clear. A laboratory flag is not a diagnosis. A scan without bloods is not this appointment.

The clinic has been on Harley Street since 1984. It is CQC registered. You do not need a GP referral. The same doctor usually reviews the results they took. The job is to match one of four Health MOT tiers to the question you want answered.

What every doctor-led MOT includes

Every Health MOT at The Health Screening Clinic includes four things: a doctor's physical examination and consultation, blood tests, a report, and a review appointment. That core does not drop away as the menu gets longer. Seca body composition, an ECG and oxygen saturation sit on the baseline. Advanced and above add more tests and more time.

The examination is why this is a different appointment from a PDF of numbers. Usually the same doctor who examined you decides whether a result needs action, repeating, monitoring or no treatment at all.

What a MOT does not include

A MOT is a preventative assessment for people who feel well enough to be screened. It is not the right booking for a new, severe or worsening symptom. Chest pain, a new lump, coughing blood, unexplained weight loss or a bowel habit that has shifted and stayed shifted belong with a GP or urgent assessment. Use 999 or A&E for emergencies.

It is not a cancer all-clear at any tier. Tumour markers such as CEA, CA-125, HE4, ROMA and PSA are extra information for a doctor. They are not a diagnosis. A clear MRI is not a guarantee. Ultrasound, a mammogram and a smear look at particular structures. They do not become whole-body cancer detection because they sit inside a private package.

It is not an MRI-only pop-up. Those visits omit the examination and the bloods. MRI shows structure. It cannot measure cholesterol, HbA1c, thyroid function or iron. It is not a nurse-led pop-up either, since those visits omit the doctor in the room.

A laboratory flag is not a diagnosis. Reference ranges are statistical intervals. An out-of-range number can be diet, a medicine, a one-off, or something that needs repeating. NHS breast, cervical and bowel invitations still apply if you are eligible. A private MOT does not replace those programmes. NICE suspected-cancer guidance (NG12) uses tests such as PSA and CA125 inside defined symptom-led pathways, not as general all-clear tests.

Four tiers by what they add

Tier	Price	Time	Fasting	What it adds
Essential	£495	45 minutes, Monday to Friday	No	Doctor, Seca, ECG, core bloods. No imaging or hormones.
Advanced	£999	1 to 1.5 hours, Monday to Friday	Four hours	Chest X-ray, DEXA when indicated, spirometry, VO2 max, hormones, four GP appointments over a year
Elite	£1,850 men / £2,095 women	2.5 to 3 hours, Thursday and Friday	Four hours	Sex-specific ultrasound, tumour markers, specialist gynaecology for women
Ultimate	£2,950 / £3,350 with gynaecology	3 to 4 hours including 60 minutes of MRI	Four hours	Full-body MRI in place of DEXA and chest X-ray

Health MOT prices and inclusions at The Health Screening Clinic at time of publication.

Essential: the 45-minute baseline

The Essential Health MOT is £495. Allow 45 minutes. It runs Monday to Friday. There is no fasting. It is the under-40 baseline, and the over-40 basic screen if you want a doctor-led look without imaging or hormones.

It includes the doctor's examination, consultation and results review, Seca body composition covering BMI, visceral fat and muscle mass, an ECG and oxygen saturation. The bloods are a full blood count, kidney function, urate, calcium, phosphate and alkaline phosphatase, a full lipids profile, glucose, liver function, ESR, HbA1c, thyroid function as FT4 and TSH, and iron.

There is no chest X-ray, no DEXA, no spirometry, no VO2 max, no hormone panel, no ultrasound, no MRI and no tumour markers. There is no year of private GP appointments. If those are the questions, Essential is the wrong tier, not a failed one.

Advanced: imaging, hormones and a year of cover

The Advanced Health MOT is £999. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. It runs Monday to Friday. Fast for a minimum of four hours.

It includes everything in Essential, then adds one year of private health coverage, meaning four GP appointments over a calendar year, a chest X-ray, a DEXA scan when clinically indicated, spirometry, a VO2 max assessment, advanced thyroid tests (T4, TSH, FT3, FT4, antibodies and peroxidase), iron and vitamin B12, vitamin D, and a hormone profile. Women receive the published panel of LH, FSH, prolactin, testosterone, oestradiol, SHBG and FAI. Men receive the hormone profile as published for that sex on the Advanced page.

DEXA is not promised for every patient. It is done when clinically indicated after the assessment. The year of GP appointments is follow-up, not insurance. Advanced still does not include consultant gynaecology, trans-vaginal or pelvic ultrasound, a mammogram, a cervical smear, abdominal, pelvic or testicular ultrasound, tumour markers, or a full-body MRI.

Elite: specialist days and sex-specific pictures

The Elite Health MOT is £2,095 for women and £1,850 for men. It runs on Thursday and Friday specialist days. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours. Fast for a minimum of four hours.

It includes everything in Advanced. Women add a gynaecologist consultation and examination, trans-vaginal and pelvic ultrasound, a mammogram if aged 40 or over, a cervical smear, minerals (magnesium, selenium and zinc), CEA and CA-125. Men add abdominal, pelvic and testicular ultrasound, and PSA if aged over 40, with CEA and the mineral panel as published on that tier. Elite also publishes iron, vitamin B12 and folate on this level.

A mammogram is for women aged 40 and over only. A private smear and a private mammogram are not the NHS Cervical Screening Programme or the NHS Breast Screening Programme. Keep the invitations you already receive. Elite is not a full-body MRI. Chest X-ray and DEXA when indicated remain the imaging on this tier.

Ultimate: MRI in place of X-ray and DEXA

The Ultimate Health MOT starts at £2,950 for men and for women without gynaecology, or £3,350 with gynaecology. Allow 3 to 4 hours, including 60 minutes of MRI. It runs Monday to Friday. Fast for a minimum of four hours.

It includes everything in Elite, except DEXA and chest X-ray are replaced by full-body MRI: brain, intracranial and carotid MRA, whole spine, chest, abdomen and pelvis. It adds a gluten sensitivity profile and a full iron profile of TIBC, ferritin and transferrin saturation. Women who take the gynaecology option also have HE4, CA-125 and ROMA. ROMA is a calculated ovarian-risk score, not a diagnosis.

The MRI looks at structure. It does not measure lipids, glucose, thyroid function or vitamins. That is why Ultimate still includes the examination and the bloods. An MRI-only booking that omits both is a different product. Incidental findings are common on wide imaging: cysts, disc changes and small lesions that need context. A consultant radiologist reports the scan. The doctor still has to say whether anything needs to happen.

Choosing among the four tiers

Choose by the kind of question, not by the thickness of the menu. Under 40, or over 40 wanting a basic screen without fasting, Essential matches that job. A chest X-ray, lung function, hormones, DEXA when indicated, and four GP appointments across a year point to Advanced. Ultrasound, specialist gynaecology or men's pelvic imaging, with tumour markers read as prompts rather than verdicts, point to Elite. The MRI protocol plus the clinic workup points to Ultimate.

If you are still choosing, the package quiz maps a few questions onto a tier. It is a chooser, not a second sales page and not a diagnosis.

Tips and tricks

Start with the question you want answered, because age, sex-specific imaging, hormones and whether you want MRI all change which tier fits.
Say if cancer runs in the family. That conversation is about which tests a doctor might discuss, not a promise that markers or pictures can rule cancer in or out.
Fast only when the tier requires it. Essential does not. Advanced, Elite and Ultimate need a minimum four-hour fast.
Continue regular medicines unless the clinic told you otherwise. Wear comfortable clothing, arrive hydrated, and bring previous bloods and clinic letters if you have them.
Book Elite on a Thursday or Friday. Allow the published time on the day, then leave time for laboratory and imaging reports before the review.
If a result needs repeating or a specialist opinion, keep the thread with the clinic that already has the examination, the bloods and the pictures.

Things to avoid

Do not book a screening MOT because you have a new cough, chest pain, a lump, shortness of breath or anything else that is getting worse.
Do not treat a nurse-led pop-up as the same visit, because those omit the doctor in the room, nor an MRI-only pop-up, which omits the examination and the bloods.
Do not assume the longest list is the right assessment.
Do not call any tier a cancer all-clear.
Do not read a laboratory flag, a tumour marker or a clear MRI as a diagnosis or a guarantee.
Do not invent your own fasting rules, and do not skip NHS screening invitations you are already eligible for.
Do not expect same-day results, DEXA unless it is clinically indicated, a mammogram under 40 on Elite, or gynaecology on Ultimate unless you book the £3,350 option.

If you want to compare the four Health MOT tiers on one page, current inclusions and prices sit at the Health MOT menu. The clinic is at 117a Harley Street, W1G 6AT, and can be reached on 020 7499 1991.

"A doctor-led MOT is an examination, bloods and a reviewed report, not a scan on its own and not a cancer all-clear at any tier."
Dr Mohammad Bakhtiar, GMC 4694470

Frequently asked questions

What does a doctor-led full body MOT include?

Every tier includes a doctor's examination and consultation, blood tests, a report and a review appointment. Seca body composition, an ECG and oxygen saturation sit on the baseline. Higher tiers add imaging, hormones, specialist examinations or MRI. A laboratory flag is not a diagnosis.

Do I need to fast?

Not for Essential. Advanced, Elite and Ultimate need a minimum four-hour fast. Continue regular medicines unless you were told otherwise.

Which tier should I choose?

Essential is a 45-minute baseline at £495 with no fasting. Advanced at £999 adds imaging, hormones and four GP appointments over a year. Elite at £1,850 for men and £2,095 for women adds sex-specific ultrasound and tumour markers on specialist days. Ultimate from £2,950 replaces DEXA and X-ray with full-body MRI.

Are tumour markers or MRI a cancer all-clear?

No. CEA, CA-125, HE4, ROMA and PSA are extra information, not a diagnosis. The Ultimate MRI covers brain, intracranial and carotid MRA, whole spine, chest, abdomen and pelvis. That is a wide look at structure, not an exhaustive ruling.

Do I need a GP referral?

No. The Health Screening Clinic at 117a Harley Street has been doctor-led since 1984, is CQC registered, and accepts self-referral.

Sources

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