A HEALTH MoT for busy business people is being pioneered at an Oxfordshire hospital.

The Horton General Hospital NHS Trust, at Banbury, is the first in the country to provide a pay-as-you-go health check.

The scheme is aimed at business men and women who want to be sure their work is not affecting their health and people who feel they want reassurance about their health.

The centre is the brainchild of general surgeon David Budd who said it met an increasing demand for health screening, as well as generating much-needed income.

He said: "Currently GPs offer a basic screening service to their patients, but this is very limited.

"The national screening programmes tend to be for certain diseases, but are not necessarily open to all age groups.

"Even people who have private health insurance have to pay for health screening, albeit at a concessionary rate. The aim is to offer the same services so that everyone can take advantage of them."

He added: "A real benefit to clients is that they are able to have all their tests at the main service departments within the Horton Hospital. For the hospital this means revenue from the private facility is being ploughed back into the hospital's resources and so towards helping NHS patients."

The centre offers a range of services including:

An in-depth executive health screen with an emphasis on early detection of risks in the development of disease

A check for people approaching or in retirement

A general health screen with emphasis on preventing heart-related conditions and detecting cancer

Checks before taking up a new job.

The tests cover everything from basic health checks to ultrasound scans. Prices range from £20 to £275.

More information is available from the centre's nurse manager Christina Duffy on 01295 229229.

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