As of October 2026. By The Wellness Team.
Should I book an executive health check in December?
December is a useful time to review an overdue health concern or plan the year ahead. The calendar itself is not a medical reason for more tests. Start with what has changed: symptoms, medicines, family history, blood pressure or a previous result that needs follow-up. A year-end assessment should close a real gap, not promise a clean bill of health for January.
If you feel unwell, describe the problem before choosing a package. Symptoms may need diagnosis rather than screening. If you feel well, ask which preventive checks are appropriate for your age and risk. These are different starting points.
Make three lists before booking
Record symptoms, established risks and goals separately. For symptoms, include onset, progression and what makes them better or worse. Risks might include smoking, raised blood pressure or early heart disease in close relatives. Goals could be returning to exercise or reviewing a medicine. Bring previous results with dates, units and laboratory ranges, plus medicines and supplements.
Discuss your priorities and the right next step with the clinic.
Do not assume all investigations can be completed before a holiday. Ask when results are expected, who interprets them and how you will be contacted if you leave London. Holiday opening hours and appointment availability need individual confirmation. A recommendation for imaging is not proof that an imaging appointment is booked.
Which checks are worth discussing?
Blood pressure and cardiovascular risk often deserve attention because action can change risk. A single elevated pressure reading may need confirmation at home or through ambulatory monitoring. Lipids, glucose and other blood tests should be selected with your history and relevant guidance in mind. Check whether any established national screening invitation is overdue.
A tumour-marker panel is not a universal cancer screen. A whole-body scan cannot rule out every disease. Ask what each proposed test could change. If an abnormal result would lead to another investigation, discuss that route and its cost before testing.
Plan backwards from follow-up
Allow time for explanation, not just sample collection. An abnormal result should have an action, a responsible clinician or service and a timeframe. Borderline results sometimes need confirmation rather than immediate treatment. If a report is pending, agree who tracks it. Silence is not a reliable result-delivery system.
If you are travelling, obtain copies you can share with your usual clinician. Clarify how urgent findings would be handled and whether follow-up can take place remotely. Do not buy information without a practical route to act on it.
Avoid the January reset trap
Choose changes you can sustain now. A repeatable activity routine, smoking cessation support or properly measured home blood pressure can be more useful than an ambitious plan abandoned after a week. Agree how progress will be judged and which tests need repeating. More frequent blood testing is not automatically better care.
Premium assessment should make decisions easier to understand and organise. It should not imply that a higher fee removes uncertainty. A sensible plan may include choosing not to perform a test whose likely harms exceed its value.
What does the evidence support?
Cochrane's review did not find an overall mortality benefit from general health checks in the populations studied. This does not mean every preventive action is ineffective. It means a broad package should not be sold as proven to prolong life. Evidence for an indicated component does not validate a branded bundle, repeated testing or claims of superiority. The useful question is whether the proposed action is appropriate for someone like you.
What does a private executive assessment cost?
As of October 2026, The Online GP's Executive Body Scan starts at £6,995. The value of a premium assessment is an individual plan, not an assumption that every possible investigation is useful. Ask for a written scope before booking. Where an ultrasound is included in the agreed programme, this is one clinically selected examination arranged off-site, not a promise to scan every organ. Additional imaging and specialist work are quoted separately. Do not assume all components take place at one appointment.
Questions to ask before booking
- What clinical question does each test answer?
- What would we do differently after a normal or abnormal result?
- Could a false positive lead to a procedure or further tests?
- Which fees are included, and which require a separate quote?
- Who explains the results and owns follow-up?
Ask for a personalised assessment and clear written scope.
When should I seek urgent help instead?
New chest pain, severe breathlessness, collapse or sudden stroke-like symptoms may require emergency care. Call 999 for a suspected emergency. Persistent or worsening symptoms need timely clinical advice even after normal screening. A planned check or a 90-day review must never delay urgent assessment.
Evidence and further reading
- Mayo Clinic: strategies to prevent heart disease
- Cochrane: general health checks
- ACR: total-body MRI screening
- Systematic review: preventive whole-body MRI
- USPSTF: blood pressure screening
- USPSTF: screening with ECG
This is general health information, not an individual diagnosis. The recommendations above need to be applied to your age, history, symptoms and relevant local clinical guidance.