Blood tests or a health MOT? Choosing the right one

Dan turns 50 in three weeks, and his father had a heart attack at 56. (Dan is an illustrative example, built from questions patients often bring us.) He has been asking himself the same question for a month: do I just get my bloods done, or pay for the full health MOT?

A blood package tells you whether your numbers sit in range. A health assessment tells you how well you are, because a doctor examines you, asks about your family and explains what the numbers mean for you. Dan could have either at 117a Harley Street. The full body MOT is the doctor-led assessment, and our private blood tests in London are the quicker, cheaper way to check your numbers.

Dan's two options side by side

On those figures the gap is £195, because the MOT price already includes blood collection. What that buys is time with a doctor and three things a blood sample cannot show.

What the Gold package tells Dan

The Gold package covers the numbers that matter most at his age: cholesterol, blood sugar and HbA1c, kidney and liver function, thyroid, iron and a full blood count. He gets results within 24 hours as a written report.

For many people that is exactly enough. If Dan had a clear examination at his own GP last month and wants a fresh set of numbers, the package answers his question.

What the examination adds

Blood is one part of the picture. At the Essential MOT, the doctor takes your blood pressure, records your heart rhythm on a 12-lead ECG, measures body composition and examines you. Then they ask about your history, which is where Dan's father matters. A raised cholesterol result reads differently in a man whose father had a heart attack at 56 than in someone with no such history.

The visit ends with a results review in person, so Dan leaves with a plan rather than a printout. The Essential MOT page lists everything included.

A blood package suits you when

• you have been examined by a doctor recently and want an up-to-date set of numbers
• you are tracking something you already know about, such as cholesterol after changing your diet
• you want a quick check on one area, with results the next day
• you plan to take the results to your own GP

A health MOT suits you when

• you have a family history, like Dan, and want it read alongside your results
• you have not had an examination or ECG for several years
• you would like one doctor to look at the whole picture and give you a written plan

If you also want a chest X-ray, lung function and four GP appointments across the following year, the Advanced MOT goes further. The differences between the tiers are set out in Essential or Advanced. If the question is a check at 40, our over-40 health check guide covers how it fits with the NHS check.

A third option sits between the two. A single GP appointment is £150 and adult appointments have no fixed time limit, which suits one specific question.

What Dan would choose

In our example, Dan books the Essential MOT. The ECG and examination matter to him because of his father, and he wants the doctor's reading of his cholesterol alongside that history. He could equally start with the Gold package and book an MOT afterwards.

Ready to decide?

If you want the doctor's examination and a plan, book a health MOT at 117a Harley Street. If numbers are enough, choose the Gold package. Our clinic is open Monday to Friday 09:00 to 18:00 and at weekends 10:00 to 14:00.