‘Genomics’ has arrived and if it hasn’t yet fully registered on your consciousness, it will do soon. The NHS recognises the huge benefit of understanding and forecasting medical issues before they become critical and will no doubt commit ever-increasing financial resources to this area in future years.
HealthAssessUK (HAUK), launched in late 2016, is an affordable health test which provides a special ‘moment in time’ health assessment and experience, designed to give everyone a real appreciation of their overall health today and if appropriate, a plan for the future. Importantly, this is a ‘now’ experience, not one you have to wait for.
The founders of HAUK believe that most of us, deep down, want to make a prevention, not cure, decision and gain a reasonable understanding of our likely future health position. That said, it is appreciated that undertaking a health test is something most people will tend to put off until later for genuine reasons including – time, cost and simply not wanting to know if something’s wrong.
To combat this reluctance, the HAUK Health Test has been designed to be an enjoyable experience, one that is tailored specifically for each individual patient, delivered in state of the art facilities, by senior doctors and consultants.
“Prevention is better than a cure”
Professor David Haslam, Chairman, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
HAUK’s providing Medical Partners are based in Guildford at The Mews Practice (www.themewspractice.com) and County Pathology which is based at the Surrey Research Park
(www.countypathology.co.uk).
The HAUK website (www.healthassess.co.uk) tells the story in much more detail but they believe a one-to-one conversation with a real person is so important.
In conclusion, the HAUK test gives men and women an absolute understanding of their health status today. With that knowledge and if appropriate, a wellness plan can be designed to reduce biological age, increase longevity and very importantly enjoy life longer.
Readers of VantagePoint magazine are encouraged to call the team at The Mews Practice on a dedicated line – 01483 578770. There will be no selling, just listening and advising. Please quote HAUK/VP when you call. A voucher will be applied to all bookings made by the end of September 2017.
A couple of months ago, the editor of VantagePoint magazine, Stefan Reynolds, decided to undergo a health test with HAUK and he has written about his experiences:
When I first heard about the Health Assess UK test, I was quite attracted to the idea of a ‘health MOT’ so long as the cost was affordable. Like many people my age (I am 46), I have no concerns about my health and rarely visit my doctor. That said, I very sadly lost an old school friend to cancer around three years ago and only last year heard that the husband of another school friend had also succumbed to the same disease, both in their early to mid-forties.
Having heard my very own MP, Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health, speak at a number of functions, I am only too aware that prevention is better than cure, and that for both the patient and the state it is fundamentally important to try and stop things developing as early as possible.
Given my rare visits to the doctor, I thought that the HAUK test was probably something I should get done so that my general assumptions about my health could be tested and should there be any causes for concern, they could be dealt with.
The test was easy to arrange and an appointment was made. I had to be ‘nil by mouth’ for 12 hours prior to the appointment but was offered a small choice of breakfast which I was asked to email them in advance. I duly presented myself at 9am at the very inviting Mews Practice in Guildford one morning, where I was met by one of the charming nurses.
The first part of the test was the main check-up. This included fasting blood tests including PSA, plus the usual weight, height and BMI tests. Also included was audiology, spirometry, blood gas oxygen levels, urinalysis and a resting electrocardiogram (ECG). This was followed by the breakfast break, with some much-needed (and very good) coffee, while the blood samples were sent by courier to County Pathology on Surrey Research Park.
After breakfast, it was time for a personal consultation with the doctor. He asked me about my medical history, that of my family and various lifestyle questions including all the usual suspects such as smoking, drinking, physical activity and sleep behaviour. This was then followed by a full examination.
As the blood tests are back within an hour or so, the doctor was then able to go through all the results with me in great detail, which was terrifically informative and interesting.
Happily, it was all pretty positive although interestingly the blood test had picked up the fact that I had a very slightly underactive thyroid, something my mother and sister both have, and something for which the doctor gave me a prescription. He suggested I could lose a tiny bit of weight and drink a little less, but that was only to be expected. The doctor also suggested a couple of other mini-changes but the overall picture was happily positive and reassuring.
As part of the test, a follow-up appointment was also arranged for the following month to answer any questions I might have once I had the chance to read the full report which was being prepared, and in my case to discuss if the prescription he had given me was working.
So was it worth it? Yes, in short. This was a comprehensive, general health assessment which was a good thing to have undertaken and something I will look to repeat in say five years just to make sure that nothing is out of kilter.
Happily it showed nothing untoward, but did pick up a (minor) issue I was unaware of and the doctor gave me a few pieces of good advice for the future. I have even lost half a stone as well since, so I’ll raise my (non-alcoholic) glass to that!
Stefan Reynolds
