Health Screening
What a well man check should include if it is more than a blood form
Written by Mr Stephen LingamReviewed by Dr Mohammad Bakhtiar (GMC 4694470) on
Maybe your partner has been nudging you for a year. Maybe you've just turned 40, or you typed well man check into a search bar and got a page of home kits, hormone panels and hotel-room blood tests.
A proper well man check has four parts: a doctor, a physical examination, an ECG, and blood tests that the doctor goes through with you in person. The bloods matter, but it's the examination and the conversation that turn a set of numbers into a check.
The Health Screening Clinic runs that doctor-led visit as a personal Health MOT at 117a Harley Street, quietly and without gym marketing. The Essential Health MOT costs £495 and takes about 45 minutes, and same-day appointments are available when capacity allows. If you're ready, book online.
Why does the examination matter as much as the bloods?
Blood pressure, heart sounds, your abdomen and your lymph nodes can show problems a tube of blood won't. An ECG can pick up a rhythm you can't feel. Lipids, HbA1c and kidney numbers, in turn, show risk a stethoscope can't hear.
NICE cardiovascular guidance (NG238) treats lipids as one part of an assessment that also uses clinical findings and family history. That's why the examination and the bloods belong in the same visit, with a doctor who will own the report.
Home kits and stand-alone blood tests have their place. They're legitimate laboratory requests when a doctor already knows the question. A well man check is the appointment where someone works out the question with you, examines you and joins it all up.
What's in the Essential Health MOT?
Essential is the well man baseline. You see a Harley Street doctor for a consultation and a physical examination, and you have:
- An ECG and oxygen saturation.
- A medical body composition analysis.
- A metabolic blood panel: full blood count, kidney and liver function, lipids, glucose and HbA1c, thyroid (FT4 and TSH), iron, uric acid, bone chemistry and an inflammation marker.
You then come back for a results review, usually with the same doctor who examined you. Essential is the published starting point for men under 40 who want a proper baseline. After 40 it's still a sound choice if your question is metabolic health rather than imaging. It's a discreet clinic visit, built around your health rather than your bench press.
What does Advanced add?
Advanced costs £999. Allow one to one and a half hours, and fast for at least four hours beforehand. On top of everything in Essential, you get a chest X-ray, a DEXA scan when clinically indicated, spirometry, a VO2 max assessment, an advanced thyroid panel, vitamin D and B12, and a male hormone profile. It also includes four private GP consultations over 12 months, shareable with immediate family.
It's the right step up when lungs, bone density, fitness or hormones are part of your question. A chest film and lung function earn their place if you've smoked or have a breathing question. Hormone numbers are most useful when a clinician reads them alongside your examination, so if energy, libido or training recovery is on your mind, say so at the start.
What does Elite add, including ultrasound and PSA?
The Elite Health MOT is the well man visit with specialist ultrasound. Men pay £1,850. Allow two and a half to three hours, with a four-hour fast. Elite includes the Advanced work, then adds abdominal, pelvic and testicular ultrasound, a pelvic examination, CEA, and PSA for men aged 40 and over.
Ultrasound shows structure that blood tests can't: the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, kidneys and aorta; the bladder and prostate; and both testes and the epididymis.
PSA and CEA are clues for the doctor who has already examined you. Tumour markers can be raised for reasons that have nothing to do with cancer, and ordinary when disease is present, so they're read with the ultrasound and the examination. The NHS explains that a high PSA does not mean you have cancer, because inflammation, an enlarged prostate, recent ejaculation, cycling or a urine infection can all lift it. Equally, a low or ordinary-looking result is a snapshot rather than a lifetime all-clear.
NICE suspected-cancer guidance (NG12) uses PSA when men have specific symptoms, and the UK National Screening Committee has not recommended a national prostate screening programme. If you're having the test, the NHS advises no ejaculation, anal sex, breathless exercise or cycling in the 48 hours before, and waiting until any urine infection has settled.
If the prostate is your main question, prostate screening focuses on it, with examination, PSA or a broader prostate profile, and MRI on the higher tier. Keep any NHS conversation about PSA you'd already planned with your GP as well, because informed choice there still matters. There's more in private prostate screening versus an NHS PSA conversation.
Where can I get a hormone test on its own?
If a testosterone number is all you're after, Blood London, our sister laboratory service, runs named blood tests including hormone panels. Book a Health MOT when you'd also like a doctor to listen to your chest, examine your testes, record an ECG and decide whether a flagged result needs a specialist.
Inside Advanced and Elite, the hormone profile is context for your clinician. If low energy, libido or recovery is your only question, a doctor-led MOT is one good place to start, and a GP conversation about those symptoms is another.
How to choose Essential, Advanced or Elite
Choose by your age and your question, rather than by the length of the list.
| Question | Visit | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor-led baseline, including under 40 | Essential | £495, about 45 minutes, examination, ECG and metabolic bloods |
| Lungs, bone density, fitness or hormones | Advanced | £999, four-hour fast, chest X-ray, DEXA when indicated, spirometry, VO2 max, a male hormone profile, and four GP consultations over 12 months, shareable with immediate family |
| Testicular, abdominal and pelvic ultrasound, and PSA for men over 40 | Elite | £1,850, two and a half to three hours, four-hour fast, plus CEA |
| A testosterone number on its own | Blood London hormone panel | A named blood test, without an examination |
Under 40, Essential is the usual starting point, since the job is a doctor-led baseline. Over 40, or if you want imaging, hormones and four GP appointments over 12 months that you can share with immediate family, Advanced is the published routine screen. For testicular, abdominal and pelvic ultrasound, and PSA from 40, Elite is the matching tier. Ultimate, with full-body MRI of the brain, MRA, whole spine and torso, is for men who specifically want that imaging.
Still unsure? A quiz can point you at a tier before you book, and the current packages are on the Health MOT page. To choose by age, see which Health MOT to start with under 40 or over 40.
Getting ready for the day
Bring previous bloods, any PSA figures, clinic letters and a list of your medicines, and keep taking your regular medicines unless you're told otherwise. Advanced and Elite ask for a four-hour fast, and Essential needs no fasting. Then keep the review appointment, because that's when a flag becomes a plan.
A well man MOT is for men who feel well enough to be screened. If you have a new testicular lump, chest pain, trouble passing urine or anything else that is getting worse, see your GP now, and call 999 or go to A&E in an emergency. Otherwise, book online or call the clinic on 020 7183 7056.
Frequently asked questions
What should a well man check include if it is more than a blood form?
A doctor consultation, a physical examination, an ECG, metabolic blood tests and an in-person review of every result. Together they turn laboratory numbers into a proper check.
Is Essential enough for men under 40?
Usually, yes, if you want a doctor-led baseline. Essential is £495, lasts about 45 minutes, and includes an examination, an ECG and metabolic bloods.
What does Elite add for men?
Abdominal, pelvic and testicular ultrasound, a pelvic examination, CEA, and PSA for men over 40, on top of the Advanced work. Men currently pay £1,850. Allow two and a half to three hours.
Where can I get a male hormone test on its own?
Blood London, our sister laboratory service, runs named hormone panels. Book a Health Screening Clinic MOT when you'd also like an examination, an ECG and a doctor's review.
Does a PSA result diagnose prostate cancer?
No. The NHS explains that a high PSA does not mean you have cancer, and NICE NG12 uses PSA when men have symptoms rather than as a general screen. Your doctor reads it with your examination and ultrasound.
Should I book Ultimate as a more thorough well man check?
Book Ultimate if you specifically want full-body MRI. Otherwise, choose between Essential, Advanced and Elite by your age and your question.
What if I have a new or worsening symptom?
See your GP promptly so it can be assessed. Call 999 or go to A&E in an emergency.
Sources
- NICE. Cardiovascular disease: risk assessment and reduction, including lipid modification (NG238)
- NICE. Suspected cancer: recognition and referral (NG12)
- NHS. PSA test
- UK National Screening Committee. Principles of screening
- UK National Screening Committee. Prostate cancer
- NHS. When to call 999
- The Health Screening Clinic. Essential Health MOT
- The Health Screening Clinic. Elite Health MOT
- The Health Screening Clinic. Prostate screening
- General Medical Council. Medical register, Mohammad Bakhtiar, 4694470
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 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