Private health checks: what the experts say

Dickon Weir-Hughes, chief nurse at The Royal Marsden NHS Trust and men's health researcher:

"Well man check-ups are a good idea because they can help get you into the habit of seeing a doctor. There's little evidence to support many of the high-tech tests that are carried out, however, and I wouldn't spend money on them. The most important part of any check-up is the opportunity to spend time talking to a health professional."

Dr Kevin Ling, clinical director at Medicentre:

"If you haven't seen a doctor for a long time, it's always worth considering a health check. The earlier a problem's detected the more likely you are to survive if something's wrong with you."

Dr Keith Hopcroft, GP and co-author of A Bloke's Diagnose It Yourself Guide to Health:

"Well Man checks attract the wrong sort of people – those who are motivated about their health anyway, which is why a lot of GPs have stopped doing them. Moreover, if you do enough tests you're almost bound to throw up something abnormal, leading to anxiety and further tests. The NHS often takes the brunt of this extra work. In the vast majority of cases picking up something early usually simply means that you're iller for longer and doesn't affect the outcome."

Dr Kirstie Gibson, Assistant Medical Director BUPA Wellness:

"It is a very sweeping statement to say that health checks make hypochondriacs out of people. For many, it is a question of taking an active interest in their health and taking positive steps to keep a healthy lifestyle, especially if they have demanding jobs and limited time. We do pick up abnormalities ranging from leukaemia to malignant melanoma of the skin and there is little doubt that detecting these problems early can improve the outcome."

Dr Ian Banks, GP and chair of the Men's Health Forum:

"Most of the Well Man checks in clinics are of limited value. For instance, an ECG or chest X-ray on its own, in the absence of symptoms, is useless. But some of the tests are worthwhile – early detection of high blood pressure can make a difference to the risk of heart disease and stroke and the PSA test is valuable for men at higher risk of prostate cancer."