GP clinic reports big rise in screening services
A central London private clinic is reporting a 58% increase year on year in first-time users of its private blood test and screening services, especially in routine monitoring or preventative screening.
Walk-In Clinic, a private medical centre offering a variety of health services such as private GP appointments and a wide range of testing and screening options, says interest in routine blood tests has grown exponentially since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Founder Dr Enam Abood said that, over the last year, her team had supported over 6,000 patients with their blood tests.
‘Especially since the pandemic, it’s been vital to find ways to empower people to take control of their health and monitor their conditions without the burden of obtaining a GP referral.
‘People are often the experts of their own condition, and it’s important that the medical field adapts to provide support where it is needed, but to remove the obstacles in the way of patients monitoring their own health,’ she added.
The clinic, which has grown from one doctor when opened in 1998, said other key growth areas were the demand for hormone testing of various kinds, such as fertility, menopause, erectile dysfunction and – most commonly since Covid – tiredness.
Walk-in Clinic managing director Alya Shakir said: ‘The increased demand is surprisingly not primarily driven by issues obtaining testing on the NHS but by an increasingly health-conscious and informed population, taking their health into their own hands and focusing more on preventative screening.’
A survey by Public Health England found seven-in-ten adults in the UK are motivated to live healthier lifestyles due to Covid.
The survey uncovered that around 6m people aged 40 to 60 planned on taking measures like eating healthier, using wight and getting more exercise.