Most people do not start a health screening programme in their lives until something happens, a symptom develops, a cancer scare, a heart attack or a friend or relative gets a serious illness or dies.
So why do people do not undertake regular health checks, whilst will readily pay for their cars, machinery, equipment to have a MOT?
The answer is simple, although may combine one or more of the following beliefs or thoughts:
- ‘I am ok, is nothing wrong with me’
- ‘Will not happen to me’
- ‘I am not old enough’
- ‘I have no symptoms, therefore I am well’
- Habit – the NHS has for long been fighting fires rather than preventing them
- Cost – ‘fighting fires’ is free whilst prevention takes some effort and some personal expenditure
- Ignorance is bliss- what you don’t know it doesn’t hurt you
- Fear of what may be found
Do you recognise yourself in any of the above?
Can we make you change your mind?
From my experience, all patients when faced with a serious illness wish they could live well for longer. Often, they try to forget the symptoms they ignored for months or years, the opportunities they had to fix something that could have been fixed at an earlier time.
Annual Health Checks – What to Expect
Having an annual health check will allow you to discuss with a doctor, any symptoms or concerns you may have, your lifestyle habits and family history. This history combined with a physical examination and tests will enable you to identify risks or conditions at an early stage.
This early identification enables early action, minimising the impact of a potentially severe illness. Early treatment often results in cure or treatment is more likely to succeed in controlling an illness.
More so, a regular health check can also put your mind at ease, in particular if you do have worries, perhaps unjustified about your health. Voicing your concerns, reduces stress and improves sleep pattern.
How Regular Health Screenings Can Save You Money
Whilst one can get free healthcare on the NHS, preventative healthcare and annual health checks are not one of the NHS’ strengths. Many may also pay towards private health insurance plans that most often do not include preventative healthcare, in particular the UK plans.
So how would the cost of a health check be justified as saving? The financial benefits may be hidden, but will ensure your finances will be healthy:
- Reduced work absence or inability to work
- Reduced private health insurance premiums
- Reduced need for chronic disease management, extensive surgery and / or expensive treatments
- Will prepare you for a future in which you may need ongoing paid care
An Annual Health Check Will Ensure You Are in Control
No surprises. Nobody wants a surprise heart attack or cancer.
Health planning, personalised health checks, finding out your risks and how your lifestyle and genetics will influence your future are key to the modern individual, in particular in a world where online health and lifestyle information and advice is abundant and varied.
Health checks should be carried out annually, and the data should be reviewed sequentially each year to ensure health trends are established early on and reversed where possible. With childhood health checks being virtually non-existent on the NHS, we recommend you start young, and educate the future generation about the importance of keeping well.
If you wish to contact ROC Clinic and find out about the packages we offer, do get in touch.
