GPs are being paid millions a year to give health 'MOTs' (2024)

Family doctors are being paid millions of pounds to conduct health ‘MOTs’ which have only marginal benefits, a major review has found.

The £300 million-a-year NHS Health Checks screening programme aims to save thousands of people from heart attacks, strokes and diabetes by spotting early warning signs.

But researchers found the health checks - available to those aged 40 to 74 - barely prevented any problems.

GP clinics are paid £24 for each check they complete.

But the Imperial College London study, commissioned by the Department of Health, found that the programme only prevented the equivalent of one heart attack or stroke for every 4,762 people who attend a health check in a year.

And experts say GPs would pick up the problems anyway with routine appointments.

Launched in 2009, the initiative is designed to spot conditions such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes by looking for ‘silent’ factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol.

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, used GP records for more than 138,000 patients registered at 462 practices across England from 2009 to 2013.

Researchers found that 21 per cent of the eligible population attended a health check.

When compared with people who had not turned up for a check, having a check only reduced the 10-year risk of suffering cardiovascular disease by 0.21 per cent, researchers said.

There were very small improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol levels and lowering people’s weight.

There was no increase in the number of people who stopped smoking.

Lead author Kiara Chang, of the School of Public Health at Imperial College, said: ‘Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death across the world - and so we urgently need effective initiatives to tackle the condition.

‘However, these findings suggest the NHS health check scheme offers very modest benefits.’

During the health check, people are asked detailed questions and given a cholesterol test, a blood test, are weighed and have their risk of diabetes assessed.

GPs are paid extra to carry out the check.

Co-author Professor Azeem Majeed added: ‘For the NHS health check scheme to be effective, it needs to be better planned and implemented - our work will help highlight how this can be done.’

In 2013, the Royal College of GPs described it as a ‘waste of money’ while 2012 research from the respected Cochrane group found they did not reduce deaths.

But, in contrast, a study from Queen Mary University earlier this year said at least 2,500 people would have avoided a heart attack or stroke in the first five years of the programme.

Jamie Waterall of Public Health England, which organises the programme, said: ‘It is important that we review all emerging evidence for this programme. PHE has an established expert group which will look at the findings of this study.

‘The largest national evaluation of the programme shows that the NHS Health Check could have prevented 2,500 heart attacks and strokes in its first five years due to clinical treatments following the check.

‘We know that more people could benefit from the check and we are working with local teams to deliver the best possible service.’