Health screening

What they involve

• Adrenal stress profile test icon plus

  The adrenal stress profile tests for imbalances in your stress hormones. This can be an important indicator of hormonal imbalances associated with certain conditions. These include management of stress, anxiety, depression, issues with blood sugar or glucose levels, chronic fatigue syndrome and weight management problems.

  Your GP will send the test kit to your home. It contains a saliva swab, and you'll need to take a saliva sample four times throughout the course of a single day. The results will be analysed in a laboratory and your GP will write to you with your results. 

  If your adrenal stress profile shows up any abnormality or imbalance, your GP will contact you to discuss the next steps, which may include lifestyle changes or even medication.

• Breast MRI icon plus

  Although breast cancer mostly affects women over 50, it remains the most common type of cancer among women under 35. If you're under 40 with a higher genetic risk of breast cancer or have been identified as having dense breast tissue, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be recommended as a means of early diagnosis and detection.

  The MRI scanner is a ring-shaped machine, which uses powerful magnets and radiology to create a detailed image of your body from a number of different angles. It shows up soft tissue very clearly. The scan takes around 30 minutes. If the MRI shows up any abnormality, your GP will contact you to discuss the next steps.

• CANTAB Insight icon plus

  If you have problems with your processing speed, attention and memory, the CANTAB Insight test can help measure your cognitive health. This digital assessment focuses on areas like your executive function, your processing speed, your attention, your working memory and your memory of events and experiences.

  You'll complete an assessment in a quiet room using a tablet. An audio soundtrack will guide you through the test, which will be recorded as part of the report. Depending on the results of your CANTAB Insight test, you may have further diagnostic tests or treatment, or a follow-up appointment.

• Cardiac risk blood profile icon plus

  This test identifies certain fats and proteins in the blood which may indicate that you're at a higher than average risk of coronary heart disease. Your GP may offer this blood test if you present coronary heart disease risk factors such as being overweight, a smoker or doing little aerobic exercise. Other risk factors could include high cholesterol, diabetes, an underactive thyroid or a family history of coronary heart disease.

  Your GP will take a blood sample, usually from a vein in your arm. This will be sent to a specialist laboratory for testing. Your GP will send you the results once they're ready and, if these indicate a higher risk of coronary heart disease, he or she will discuss the next steps with you.

• CT coronary angiogram icon plus

  This minimally invasive test is used to check your risk of heart disease by examining the arteries, especially if you're overweight, unfit or you smoke. Your GP may also recommend it if you have high cholesterol or blood pressure, diabetes, a thyroid condition or a family history of coronary heart disease.

  First, you'll have an injection of dye into a vein in your arm so your arteries will show up on the scan. The CT scanner is a ring-shaped machine which contains X-ray tubes. You'll lie on a bed which passes through the machine, while it rotates and takes a number of 2D images which can be stacked together to create 3D images.

  Your GP will send you the results once they're ready. If your test suggests you have or are at risk of coronary heart disease, your GP will contact you to discuss the next steps.

• CT virtual colonoscopy icon plus

  A CT scan creates a series of X-rays to form a 3D picture of your bowel, a less invasive alternative to an endoscopic procedure. We may recommend a CT if you drink alcohol, smoke and eat a lot of red and processed meat, or if you already have a bowel condition or a family history of bowel cancer.

  You may have an injection of contrast dye beforehand, and your radiologist will insert a small tube into your back passage to fill your bowel with air or carbon dioxide, to make the CT scan clearer.

• DNAFit test icon plus

  This test determines your response to a series of genetic markers which are associated with fitness, nutrition and sporting performance. Based on your result, your GP can provide personalised advice and help you to build a personalised lifestyle plan.

  During your appointment, your GP will carry out a simple saliva test, then send your sample to the DNAFit laboratory. The sample will be analysed by a team of human genetics and nutrigenomics, who will focus on the interaction between nutrition and genetics. If your DNAFit test shows up any abnormality, your GP will contact you to discuss the next steps.

• FibroScan® icon plus

  A FibroScan® is an ultrasound which can measure the elasticity of your liver, an indicator of liver health. Your GP may recommend this if you drink an excessive amount of alcohol, are overweight, obese or unfit, or if you have diabetes. It's a quick, non-invasive procedure and you shouldn't feel any discomfort.

  Your consultant hepatologist or specialist nurse will apply gel to the right side of your abdomen, then pass the ultrasound probe across the surface of your skin. It gives out ultrasound waves and measures the speed at which they bounce back from your liver. This can indicate how much fibrosis, or scarring, is present.

• Oncogene test icon plus

  The oncogene test analyses 30 genes to help you understand your risk for common hereditary cancers, including breast, ovarian, uterine, colorectal, stomach, pancreatic, skin and prostate cancer.

  This simple saliva test may be useful for anyone with a family history of these types of cancer. If a genetic mutation is found, we can work with you to devise a personal health screening programme to increase the chance of early detection.

• Ovarian health icon plus

  Ovarian cancer can often be diagnosed late because the position of the ovaries in pelvis makes it less likely to be spotted. We can carry out a simple blood test, testing levels of the protein CA125 which, if raised, may indicate cancer.

  Your GP may also book you a minimally invasive ultrasound scan of the pelvis with a radiologist at one of our hospitals. Together these can offer you a better chance of early detection and treatment.

• StoreGene test icon plus

  Many people may be at a greater risk of developing coronary heart disease because of their genetics. The StoreGene test is a simple assessment to help identify these genetic markers. Your GP may recommend it if you have common cardiovascular risk factors such as being overweight, having diabetes or high cholesterol, or if it's in your family history.

  During your appointment, your GP will carry out a simple saliva test, which should only take a few minutes. The saliva sample you give will be sent for analysis at the laboratory. If your StoreGene test shows up any abnormality, your GP will contact you to discuss the next steps, which may range from additional tests to lifestyle changes or medications.